Some Interesting Facts About St. Basil's
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Capt. John Elmsley (1801 - 1863) donated four building lots to the Roman Catholic Church in Toronto from his Clover Hill estate. St. Basil's Church and the buildings of the University of St. Michael's College were built on this land. Capt. Elmsley's heart is entombed in a niche in the church. His body is interred in a tomb at St. Michael's Cathedral. Capt. Elmsley was a Great Lakes ship captain, a wealthy landowner and a convert to Catholicism. His conversion caused quite a scandal! |
St. Basil's church was founded by the Basilian Fathers, a religious order of priests, who came to Canada from France in 1852. St. Basil's Church, built in 1856, is the third oldest Roman Catholic church in the city of Toronto. Only St. Paul's Basilica (1822) and St. Michael's Cathedral (1845) are older. When St. Basil's Church was built the entire city of Toronto was well to the south of it. The view towards Lake Ontario was panoramic, from Ashbridge's Bay in the east all the way west to Port Credit. Even the whitecaps and the lake steamers on the lake were plainly visible to the naked eye. The architect's drawing on the right dates from 1852 and depicts the original plans for St. Basil's Church and St. Michael's College. The church that was completed four years later was different than that shown in this drawing. |
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The original church building cost 7,000 Pounds Sterling and the funds were raised from all over southern Ontario. It was estimated that 6,000 people attended the laying of the cornerstone in 1855. In 1856, the original church building was only 100 feet (approx 30 meters) long and 50 feet (15 meters) wide. In 1877, the Sanctuary was extended 50 feet (15 meters) to the north. The Church was extended one more time in 1886, this time to the south. The additions included the bell tower, steeple, organ loft and entranceway. The original ceiling was constructed of oak timbers. The present ceiling was added in 1922. The picture on the left depicts St. Basil's as it was in 1880 (it is hidden behind trees on the left). The building across the middle is Odette Hall. The wing on the east side was demolished many years ago. |
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The photos above show the exterior of St. Basil's in 1886 and in 1900. The photo of the interior, showing the original wooden ceiling beams, which still exist beneath the plaster ceiling that was in stalled in 1922, dates from 1907.
Source: The Story of St. Basil's: A Witness to Faith in the Heart of Toronto, 1856 - 2006, by Gordon Barthos. Copies are available for purchase in the Parish Office for $10.00.