Welcome to a Virtual Tour of the Church of the Epiphany, Sudbury
A Bit of History
F. A. Peake (1982). The church of the Epiphany A Century of Anglican Witness Sudbury Ontario
The interior of the first
church, 1891
The first church
The history of Sudbury is closely linked to the building of the railway which for many decades influenced all facets of life in the rapidly developing community. In August 1886 land was selected on Larch Street for a church and parsonage. Construction of the first church of the Epiphany began in 1890. The church was finished with "an open roof, pine and oiled varnished panels with principals, purloins & cherry stained, the seats to correspond with the roof in finish." It was heated by a hot air furnace and lit by hanging oil lamps.
The first services in the new building were held November 9th, 1890 and the first celebration of Holy Communion on Christmas day by the incumbent Charles Piercey.
2nd church with 1941 parish hall
In 1910 a decision was made to build a new church. In the summer of 1912 the old building was demolished and the site prepared for the erection the new building.
The undercroft of the new building was first used for services on Palm Sunday, March 16th, 1913 and the church itself was formally opened on April 27th, the fifth Sunday after Easter, although the tower was still unfinished. The building was described as follows:
... a solid brick structure with local stone basement and Longford stone trimming. The dimensions of the building are 108 feet by 64 feet over all, including tower rising 14 feet from the highest point of the building. The basement is 10 feet in height and contains a Sunday School room 64 x 40 feet with a platform 22 x 14 ... and a library 10 x 10 under the main tower ...
The (nave) is 64 x 40 with transepts 16 x 6. It is finished in Georgia pine, and the magnificient ceiling of the same material is the most imposing feature of the whole structure. The ceiling height is 50 feet from the floor.
The chancel is divided from the (nave) by a gothic arch rising 33 feet from the floor. The transepts are also divided by 28 foot arches.
The chancel ... 30 x 23 ... is finished in oak, with raised floors for pulpit, lectern and choir. The altar is inclosed in a quarter cut oak railing ...
A parish hall with a stage, dressing rooms, kitchen etc. was constructed in 1941 and formally opened in March 1942. The rebuilding included a small chapel for weekday services. In 1957 the narthex and parish offices were added to the west font of the church. By 1979 it became apparent that the building was in need of extensive repairs. The repairs were completed in 1981 and on January 10th 1982 the church was re dedicated.
The completion of the external renovation marked the beginning of the centennial celebrations of the parish culminating in October 1982, the hundredth anniversary of the occasion when a handful of Anglicans gathered together in a shack near Junction Creek to join in the worship of the Book of Common Prayer.
2nd church with addittion of the narthex
In 1987 the building was destroyed in a fire at the hands of a troubled arsonist. The congregation was devastated but decided the Anglican presence should continue in Sudbury's downtown and the church was rebuilt. Fortunately the original foundation and exterior walls were sound enough that the building could be rebuilt for the inside. The old parish hall was demolished and a new office edifice was constructed. The new church was rededicated on Epiphany Sunday January 1989.
Some 265 families and individuals are on our parish roll.
If you are already familiar with the Church of the Epiphany and would like to visit a specific area, feel free to go there directly using the panel on the left. Otherwise follow this link as we stroll around the exterior of the building