I was out this weekend shooting in the county with John, Mike and Allison, when we came up to Eglise St. Joseph in River Canard.
Built in 1913, the church is a county landmark, however I had never before been inside.
The cornerstone reflects the fact that the area was a French Canadian settlement.
There is great outdoor statuary, however, as beautiful as the outside of this Church is, I was not expecting to see what I saw when I went inside…
Hands down, the church interior is one of the most beautiful in all of Essex County. The interior painting was done in 1950-51 by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Malczyk, Polish immigrants who came to Canada to escape WWII. The pair were experience Church Painters.
According to the lady we spoke with at the church, most of the faces in the murals inside the church were painted from using parishioners as models. If you had any relatives who attended St. Joseph in the era immediately after WWII, check it out, you may be able to find a relative in the paintings.
Just when you think you’ve seen everything there is to see in Essex County, along comes something like St. Joseph’s to blow you away.
For more information about the Church Interior click here, or for general parrish history, click here.
Good lesson on why it’s worthwhile to sometimes slow down and smell the roses. Fascinating that something so rich in history exists right under our noses and most of us have probably driven by countless times without even a thought.
I recall driving by this church when I lived in Windsor and I must say I am blown away by the interior. I would have never expected such architecture and beauty. I always loved the view from across the water but never would have imagined the interior as such.
We have a church here in Montreal La Basilique de Notre Dame. They actually charge admission because of the number of tourists this chuch draws. Eglise St.Joseph has many of the same qualities and design of Notre Dame but in a smaller scale and perhaps a bit less extravagant. Unfortunately for them since they don’t have tourist to draw in the cash to help maintain and upgrade the interior as I am sure Notre Dame does on a regular basis.
With that being said thank-you for the wonderful pictures and your right we should stop to smell the roses and perhaps we would realise that there are many fascinating discoveries right at our doorstep.
I went to a wedding there a few years ago and I was amazed by the interior – I’d been by the Church many times and never seen the inside. I love the light fixtures.
Amazing church.
You should also Check out Assumption Church on the University Campus – another amazing building inside!!