St. John The Evangelist Anglican Church is downtown in Ottawa on Elgin, a few blocks down the street from the War Memorial. It has roots in more than one congregation, and the present building dates back to the early 20th century. It has a reputation as a progressive, inclusive church. Each year, for a couple of weeks at the end of April and the beginning of May, the church holds what's called Art Credo, with the works of artists hanging in the sanctuary. These works are for sale, and tend to have a theme of nature or spirituality. If you're in the Ottawa area, it's still going on until the eleventh of May. If you're planning a trip in the future, be advised that the church does this each year at the same time. This happens to be the 38th year of the show.
Inside, the sanctuary's quite lovely and lit up, a mixture of traditional church architecture and the unusual. What draws my eyes is the wood, dark and with interesting lines. One of the people I spoke with wasn't sure what type of wood it was, just that it is very dense wood, hard to put a nail into.
From the central aisle, a view of one wall shows some of the art. Provincial crests also adorn the walls as a permanent display, which surprised me.
I rather liked this stained glass window.
The organ's impressive as well. It seems a musically inclined church. Aside from this organ and drum, there was another organ and a piano in the sanctuary, and a group of singers practicing in the side chapel while I was inside. You can see them in the second pic at the right.
Beside the organ, this podium offers an interesting looking place for a speaker.
And I left off with a view of the altar.
I love the old wood floors! Your last photo is wonderful with the expanse and stained glass windows.
ReplyDeleteIt is a beautiful grand Church. Love the stained glass too. To me it even looks Anglican.
ReplyDeleteMB
Interesting little tidbit from Wikipedia: "The tradition of using eagle-shaped lecterns predates the Reformation. Medieval examples survive in a number of English churches, including the church of St Margaret in Kings Lynn, and the church of St Mary in Ottery St Mary. The Dunkeld Lectern is a notable eagle lectern."
ReplyDeleteThe organ is beautiful to my eyes! If the congregation is as wonderful as the architecture, this would be a great place to worship.
ReplyDeletelove the wooden floor and all that stained glass...would love to hear the organ!
ReplyDeleteI like the view of the altar a lot. I've had my fair share of churches over the past week :-)!
ReplyDeleteLovely.
ReplyDeleteLinda: thank you.
ReplyDeleteMB: stained glass always draws me in.
Revrunner: ah so that explains it.
EG: church organs have such a rich variety. I can't recall seeing one like this before.
Tanya: from the acoustics of the singing that was going on while I was inside the sanctuary would be ideal for listening.
Ciel: I expect so! Nice to see you back!
Luis: thanks.
I'd love to hear a concert in there!
ReplyDeleteJane x
neat that they host artists' works once a year!
ReplyDeleteThe stained glass windows are so beautiful William.. A pretty fabulous 'art gallery' hey :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful stained glass!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely church!
ReplyDelete@Jane and Chris: it seems to be ideal space for it.
ReplyDelete@Tex: I think so too!
@Grace: stained glass is such a challenge to photograph, I find.
@Krisztina: I think so!
@RedPat: it is!
A quite peculiar church, quite different from the classical one, but I like it very much. The organ is simply gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy the places you take us to William. What a lovely church! I like the fact that they show the artwork, the organ must sound incredible and I do love those stained glass windows.
ReplyDeleteThis is truly a beautiful church inside and out. Great pics!
ReplyDeleteRuth & Darryl :)
How beautiful! I'm sure the pipe organ sounds magnificent in a place like that. The acoustics are probably wonderful.
ReplyDeletelove those windows. i love the light rays off your shots inside. so cool. ( :
ReplyDeleteNice church! And thirty-eight years for an art show! Sounds like they're really invested in the community!
ReplyDelete@VP: my dad plays the organ. He'd be fascinated.
ReplyDelete@Denise: I should get back in for another look before the show ends.
@Ruth and Darryl: thank you!
@Lois: from the singing that was going on, I'd say the acoustics are just fine in there.
@Beth: thanks! The place was lit just right.
@Cheryl: after thirty eight years, it's well established.
Quite a lovely and quiet space for reflection.
ReplyDeleteThe wood gives this a very nice feeling of warmth, as do the windows and the lighting. It seems more welcoming than some churches I've visited.
ReplyDeleteA very sturdy and good looking building. It is nice of them to offer up the space for the art exhibition every year.
ReplyDeleteLove the building and the organ too.
ReplyDelete@Jack: it definitely is.
ReplyDelete@Kay: the warmth of that wood is something that I really liked.
@Pat: I think so!
@Jose: my dad, having played the organ for years, would be fascinated by it.