Holy Cross Cemetery (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

For other uses, see Holy Cross Cemetery (disambiguation).

Holy Cross Cemetery is a cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, owned and operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth. It was constructed in 1843 under the direction of Archbishop William Walsh,^[1] on land provided by local authorities.^[2] Holy Cross Cemetery replaced the first Catholic cemetery in Halifax, the St. Peter's Cemetery located next to St. Mary's Basilica on Spring Garden Road. Since 1843, some 25,000 persons have been buried at Holy Cross, many of Irish descent, including Canada's fourth Prime Minister, Sir John Sparrow Thompson.^[3]

Holy Cross Cemetery
Holy Cross Cemetery Halifax
Details
Established	1843
Location	1259 South Park St, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Country	Canada
Coordinates	44.6391°N 63.5760°W / 44.6391; -63.5760
Owned by	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth
No. of graves	2500
Find a Grave	Holy Cross Cemetery

Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel

Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel is said to have been built in one day on Aug. 31, 1843 by 2,000 volunteers,^[4] although the foundation and some prefabrication had been done in advance. The chapel's modest design is described as a Nova Scotian expression of Gothic revivalism. The furnishings are sparse and modest but the altar reliefs have received national recognition, and the windows have been described as a nationally significant collection of stained glass.^[2][5]

Holy Cross Cemetery served as the primary for Halifax Catholics until 1896, and although interments continued through the twentieth-century the site had fallen into disrepair by 2005.^[1] The Holy Cross Cemetery Trust was established in 2006,^[1] and a program of restoration and beautification by volunteers has been in progress since 2008,^[6] repairing fences, the chapel,^[7][4] and 1800 of the current 2500 gravemarkers.^[1]

Notable interments

Charles Robinson Grave, Holy Cross Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia

There are many notable persons buried in the cemetery including:

• Sir John Sparrow Thompson, Prime Minister of Canada^[8]
• Hon. Sir Edward Kenny
• Thomas Edward Kenny
• Charles Robinson (1840–1896), US Civil War Medal of Honor

The cemetery also contains war graves of nine Canadian service personnel, six of World War I and three of World War II.^[9]

References

1. "Holy Cross Cemetery". Saint Mary's University. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
2. "Building a Cemetery 1843". Saint Mary's University. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
3. "Research". Holy Cross Historical Trust. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
4. "Volunteers resurrect Irish cemetery in Halifax". CBC News. Aug 12, 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
5. "Holy Cross Cemetery Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel". Saint Mary's University. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
6. "Holy Cross Work Finished for a Seventh Year". Holy Cross Historical Trust. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
7. "Conservation". Holy Cross Historical Trust. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
8. Douglas McArthur. "A historical stroll through Canada's prime ministerial grave sites". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
9. "Halifax (Holy Cross) Roman Catholic Cemetery". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 2 October 2015.

External links

• Holy Cross Historical Trust
• Nova Scotia Archives
• A snowy tribute to Halifax’s Irish heart
• Holy Cross Cemetery at Find a Grave