St. Mary and St. George is the only remaining ecclesiastic structure designed by A.M. Calderon, an early Edmonton architect. An Alberta Historic Resource, the church has become one of the most popular venues for weddings in the Rocky Mountains, as well as a popular tourist stop.
At the church, now an Alberta Provincial Historic Resource, is a historical marker which relates the story of the church's beginnings:
During Canada’s second era of railroad building, as the line came through the Yellowhead, settlement was begun at Fitzhugh (now Jasper) and by 1913 a number of Anglicans had arrived. Worship services were held, first in a box car then in a log church. To settle a difference of opinion the church was named after both St. Mary and St. George.
Construction of the present church began in 1928 when Viscount Willingdon, Canada’s governor general, laid the cornerstone. It was consecrated a year later. Made possible by an anonymous gift, it was designed by an Edmonton architect, Alfred Calderon, on plans of a 14th century English church, adapting the gothic style to its mountain setting and the use of local materials.
The tower was added later in memory of nurse Edith Cavell. Inside, memorials recall the men and women of the parish who have died in war as well as those whose courage opened up the mountains. St. Mary and St. George was the church of airman Pat Langford, executed by the Nazis for his part in the "great escape". It was also the church of Fred Brewster, who played an immense role in developing touring and tourism in this area. St. Mary and St. George was designated a provincial historic resource in 1985 by the minister of culture, the Hon. Mary J. Lemessurier.
The first Anglican church in Jasper, a log building, was built in 1914 and replaced by this church in 1928, the cornerstone bring laid by the Governor General of Canada, Freeman Freeman-Thomas, Viscount Willingdon, on July 29, 1928. Being modeled after a 14th Century church, St. Mary and St. George is a truly Gothic Revival edifice, highlighted by its battlemented bell tower, not completed until 1932. The tower was named the
Edith Cavell Memorial Tower in her honour. Edith Cavell was an English nurse shot by the Germans during World War 1 after helping 200 soldiers escape German occupied Belgium. Her execution led to worldwide condemnation and extensive press coverage.
A stucco and stone structure, St. Mary and St. George is an interesting building, with the massive battlemented tower toward the rear of the nave opposite a dormer and a small transept. To the rear of the transept is what appears to be the five sided apse. Opposite, at the front of the nave, is an angled narthex beside a multi sided extension, likely the baptistery. A small wooden bell tower, set back on the gable's peak, is open all around and has a pyramid roof with slightly flared eaves. Down each side of the nave are three heavy stone buttresses, each centre buttress extending into a small pyramidal roofed tower. Both building and tower are likely of wood framed construction, resting on stone foundations.
St. Mary and St. George
Anglican ministry in the area began in 1909 with travelling missionaries. In 1914, after having been organized as a formal mission with permanent regular worship, a log church was constructed. It was consecrated by the first Bishop of Edmonton on August 2, of that same year. The Women’s Auxiliary of the Missionary Society of Church of England, along with two main donors, provided the bulk of the finances needed. A wooden tower was added in 1915 to provide living quarters for the rector. The present church of St. Mary and St. George was designed by Mr. A.M. Calderon of Edmonton and built of local materials in 1928. To complete the church the Edith Cavell Memorial Tower was added in 1932.
The two main donors for the first church building had each requested a different name for the church. To please both, the church was named St. Mary and St. George. In 1923 the mission of St. Mary and St. George became a parish.
The design and concept of the present church is based on a blueprint for a 14th-century English Gothic church. The cornerstone was laid by the Governor General of Canada, Freeman Freeman-Thomas, Viscount Willingdon, on July 29, 1928. It's a good example of the Gothic revival style that has been present in Canada since the second quarter of the 19th century.
The consecration of the church took place on July 28, 1929. The modification of the original design for the tower caused a delay in its construction and it was not completed until 1932. The tower is named in honour of British nurse Edith Cavell (1865-1915), executed by the German military during the First World War.
In 1985, the Alberta Ministry of Culture declared St. Mary and St. George a Historic Resource on the grounds that it reflects the 14th century English Gothic revival in Canada and is the only remaining ecclesiastic structure designed by A.M. Calderon, one of the early architects to work in Edmonton. Currently the church is one of the most popular ecclesiastical venues for weddings in the Rocky Mountains and a main point of interest for tourists who each year visit Jasper from all over the world.
In 2005, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, visited the church and attended Morning Prayer in a service led by the then-Bishop of Edmonton Victoria Matthews. Previously on Victory in Europe Day May 8, 1945, the Earl of Athlone (governor general) and Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, were present at the Thanksgiving Service.
From Wiki