The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Until 1784, some areas of Canada had a formal ban on the Catholic faith, which in some cases even entailed criminal punishment. And only at the end of the XVIII century, it was canceled, allowing the construction of the first Catholic church on the territory of Halifax - the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The cathedral was built with the own funds of a group of Irish Catholics who bought land on the corner of Spring Garden Road and Barrington Street. In 1829, the first divine service was performed, and in 1843 the chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary was added to the temple. By this time, the temple was completely rebuilt by architect Joseph Connolly in the neo-Gothic style. Pope Pius XII raised the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the rank of a small basilica and on this solemn occasion an organ was installed in it. Today the cathedral is included in the list of national monuments of Canada.