Church of Our Lady of Good Hope

Summary

The Church of Our Lady of Good Hope (French: Église Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Espérance) is an historic Carpenter Gothic-style Roman Catholic church building located on a bluff overlooking the Mackenzie River in Fort Good Hope, Northwest Territories, Canada. Only 45 by 25 feet (13.7 by 7.6 m) in size, it was built between 1865 and 1885 as a mission of the Oblate Fathers. Father Émile Petitot, "renowned ethnologist, linguist and geographer of the Canadian northwest" was a resident of the mission from 1864 to 1878.[1]

Church of Our Lady of Good Hope
Map
66°15′07″N 128°38′38″W / 66.2519°N 128.6439°W / 66.2519; -128.6439
CountryCanada
DenominationRoman Catholic
WebsiteListing at Diocesan website
History
StatusMission
Founded1864 (1864)
DedicationOur Lady of Good Hope
Associated peopleÉmile Petitot
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationNational Historic Site of Canada
Designated1977
Architectural typeCarpenter Gothic
Groundbreaking1865
Completed1885
Specifications
Length45 feet (14 m)
Width25 feet (7.6 m)
Number of floors1
Number of spires1
MaterialsWooden frame
Administration
ArchdioceseGrouard-McLennan
DioceseMackenzie-Fort Smith
Official nameChurch of Our Lady of Good Hope National Historic Site of Canada
Designated1977

The building's simple exterior, with its wooden siding, steep pitched roof, lancet windows and lancet entranceway under a steepled bell tower, make it a rather plain example of Carpenter Gothic style architecture, which belies the extraordinary painted decoration of its interior.[1][2]

The Church of Our Lady of Good Hope was designated a National Historic Site of Canada on June 6, 1977. The designation does not include the historic cemetery located to the left of the church building.[1]

Church of Our Lady of Good Hope - interior
Church of Our Lady of Good Hope - rear interior

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Church of Our Lady of Good Hope National Historic Site of Canada. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  2. ^ "The Ramparts: Our Lady of Good Hope— Church at Fort Good Hope". Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2008-10-02.