St. George’s Church

Who is St. George?

t. George is the protector of women and a model of chivalry. His existence, however, is disputed. One tradition preserved in the Golden Legend says that he was a late 3^rd-century Roman centurion of Cappadocia, Asia Minor, a Christian in the service of a pagan emperor. Travelling through Libya he found the inhabitants of the city of Silene (in other versions, Beirut of the Levant) living in the terror of a dragon which had eaten their sheep and could only be appeased by the daily sacrifice of a maiden.

he king's beautiful daughter, Cleodolinda was waiting her turn to be the dragon's next victim. She was dressed as a bride and was standing at the mouth of the dragon's cave by the sea. George rode up on his white charger, overcame the dragon, bound it with the princess's girdle, and told her to lead it back to the city. Her father and 15,000 of his people were astounded by their miraculous deliverance and agreed to become Christians. George then killed the dragon. He then went on to Palestine where he refused to recognize the divinity of Emperor Diocletian. He was dragged along the highway by wild horses, then roasted and finally beheaded.

t. George is the patron of Venice, Genoa, Portugal, Catalonia and Greece. He replaced St. Edward the Confessor as patron saint of England in 1222 after the Crusades, when he appeared to Richard LionHeart before the siege of Antioch and promised him victory. The cry, "St. George for England", also proved effective in enabling Edward III (1327-1377) to beat the French. His red cross represents England on the Union Jack, and his feast day, April 23, is the English National Day. The St. George's Channel (or Irish Sea) is so named because he is said to have visited England by that route. As patron of the Order of the Garter, he is sometimes shown in the robes of that Order. The church where the members' banners are placed, St. George's Chapel, Windsor, is dedicated to him. He is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, a group of saints who were especially responsive to prayers for help in recovery from illness and for those who prayed for an easy death.

Outside the Church

t. George’s opened in 1843 to accommodate the overflow ("chapel of ease") from Christ Church Cathedral and was first located on what is now Notre Dame Street, just outside the city walls.
The present building was opened for worship on October 9, 1870. Its main features include the magnificent double hammer-beam roof (one of the largest of its type in the world) the unique column-free interior which combines elements of both English and French Gothic plans, and the superb English wood-carving in the chancel.
The congregation has, and continues to have, a profound impact not only on the religious and social life of Montreal but also on the expansion of Christian work throughout Canada.

The Bell Tower, The Bells, The Clock

n 1893, Mr A.F. Gault contributed generously to the cost of building the church tower. He was a prominent Montreal business man and a great public benefactor. Mr Gault gave the bells, clock and chimes to St. George's as a gift. The set of bells was ordered from England, thirteen tubular bells which were a number five in size, the largest in "C". The order was received in England in 1899. These bells arrived in December of that year, a series of suspensed metal tubes, from 5 to 10 feet in length, and weighing from 30 to 200 pounds.

he bells turned out to be a complete failure at St. George's because they were too loud to be rung in a city center. They were meant to ring out over a large open expanse of land. After much criticism, the bells did in fact, end up in the tower of a country church where they rang out, in a tower on a hilltop with higher elevation than St. George's. Subsequently, a new set of ten bells of a lower tone was sent to St. George's. These ten were first rung in 1901. Everyone was very satisfied and found the sound "beautiful".

he carillon was set up to play automatically or by hand every three hours. There were four barrels, each containing 7 religious and secular tunes. The carillon ceased to play many years ago, since people complained that the sound disturbed them.

When the tower was built, the architect considered putting a clock in it. However, he was concerned that a clock might spoil its appearance. In addition, because the clock would be facing Windsor Station, the architect was afraid that, should the clock be inaccurate, he would have to face the wrath of the travelers who might miss their train.

owever, the clock was installed and was faithfully on time, losing exactly 6 seconds per year. In an era when the wrist watch had not been invented, and pocket watches more inaccessible under winter apparel, the public clock was of great service to people. The clock was, at that time, illuminated with a 32 to 50 watt candle lamp on each dial. The dials were five feet in diameter and of the best opal glass. It was ordered in 1899 at a cost of 255 pounds sterling. It arrived a year later. It chimed the quarter hours and never less than twice, sometimes more, during sermons! Today, the chimes do not ring, nor does the carillon, but the clock still tells time and the bells are played prior to services on a small keyboard situated in the church proper.

Inside the Church

The Floor Plan

he floor plan of St. George's Church forms the shape of a cross consisting of the chancel, the body of the cross being the nave and the arms being the transepts. The nave is derived from the Latin "navis" or "a ship" because the Church is compared to a ship in which the faithful would be saved. East (the Orient) is the point of the compass where the sun (Christ) appears, hence the source of light and truth.

The Stained Glass Windows

t. George's Church is blessed with a wealth of beautiful stained glass windows.

In the sanctuary are five large lancet windows, from left to right:

1. The presentation of our Lord in the temple, The Good Samaritan, The Journey to Emmaus, in memory of the Hon. John Elliot

2. The Ascension, in memory of the Hon. George Moffat

3. The Good Shepherd, in memory of Mrs. Fulford, wife of the first Bishop of Montreal

4. The Raising of Jairus' Daughter, Teach us to pray, The Call to Samuel, in memory of Edith Molson

5. The parable of the Labourers in the vineyard, in memory of William Molson

Other Windows

he window representing "Samuel and People's Request for a King" was erected to the memory of the Hon. Thomas White, M.P. Minister of the Interior and Superintendent General of Indian Affairs in Canada.
"And Samuel heard all the words of the people and rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord" (1 Samuel 8:21).

n memory of Miles Williams, Christ and the Woman at the well "God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).

his window represents Woman Washing the feet of our Lord, in memory of Jessie Dunlop, the wife of the Rev. John Empson, M.A.
"He said unto her, "Thy sins are forgiven" (Luke 7:48)

he stained glass commemorates the men and women who fought in World War II. Each panel represents a branch of the Armed Forces:
Left panel: the Navy "They that go down to the sea in ships, these see the works of the Lord and his wonders of the deep" (Psalms 107:23).
Centre panel: the Army "He will swallow up death in victory and the Lord God will wipe away all tears from all faces" (Isaiah 25:8).
Right panel: the Air Force "Out of weakness made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens" (Hebrews 11:34).

iven to honour the 50 years in the Priesthood of Archdeacon A.P. Gower-Rees, the window depicts Jesus in the Synagogue at Nazareth:
"The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath appointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery the sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord "- and he closed the book. (St. Luke 4:18, 19).

his windows depicts Jesus calling to his disciples to be fishers of men. It was given in memory of Guy de Lancey Robinson and his wife Constance Gordon Smith.
"He aid unto them, "follow me and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19).

n memory of Lansing Lewis, his wife Katherine Bate and Helen McKim Lewis, this biblical scene shows Jesus at the home of Mary and Martha. Jesus reminds Martha that Mary's spirituality is as important to her as Martha's practicability is to her.
"Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away" (Luke 10:42).

tained glass, south transept

hrist in the house of His Parents

Credits for the information on this page are given to the Religious Heritage Foundation.

TO KNOW CHRIST AND MAKE HIM KNOWN! CONNAÎTRE LE CHRIST ET LE FAIRE CONNAÎTRE !

© 1998 – Updated onMise à jour le 2005-08-09