Cathedral Church of St. James- Toronto, ON

The Cathedral Church of St. James is home to Toronto’s oldest congregation. Established in 1797, the current cathedral is the parish’s fourth church constructed on the site. 

The first church, built in 1807, was a wood building used as a hospital in the War of 1812. In 1833, it was dismantled and replaced with a Neoclassical stone structure. In 1839, it was destroyed by fire, but quickly reconstructed. Ten years later, it burned down again during the first Great Fire of Toronto (1849), which damaged a significant portion of the city. 

Following an international architectural competition, Frederick William Cumberland’s Gothic design, complete with flying buttresses, was selected for the new church. Construction began in 1850, with the first service held in 1853. Noteworthy features of the Ohio sandstone and brick building include exposed rafters, pointed arches, lancet windows, and stained glass. The church became a Cathedral in 1936.