inSPIREd Sunday

inSPIREd Sunday

July 2018 - Elora ON

St. John's Church is significant for the contributions it has made to the social atmosphere of the Elora community. The Parish of St. John the Evangelist was formed in 1830 and the original Elora church was built in 1842, at the south end of the Village. The current church was built as a replacement, in 1875, and has served as a place of worship for over 125 years.

Church members also had a role in founding a private school, St. John's Kilmarnock, in 1972. 

In 1979 St. John's Church was the birthplace of the Elora Festival, which is a four week celebration of music held in July.

Now this is interesting!

St. John's Church is home to the famous communion set, reportedly donated by Florence Nightingale, to her cousin and reputed lover, John Smithurst, Rector of the church, from 1852-1857. In 1945 the church began an annual service for nurses who strive to follow Nightingale's example.

The three Toronto churches mentioned in the next paragraph have been featured here in Inspired Sunday.

St. John's Church represents an excellent example of the Gothic Revival style, which was commonly used for church designs. It was designed by Henry Langley, who was responsible for several other Gothic Revival churches, such as the Metropolitan Methodist, Jarvis Street Baptist, and St. Andrew's Presbyterian (now United) churches, in Toronto. The exterior features that characterize this style include buttresses, vaulted arches, steeply pitched gable roofs, and elaborate cast iron ornaments, exemplified by the rooftop cresting.