Mohawk Chapel
Encyclopedia
Her Majesty's Royal Chapel of the Mohawks, the oldest building in Ontario, is one of six Chapels Royal outside of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, and one of two in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, the other being Christ Church Royal Chapel
Christ Church Royal Chapel
Christ Church, Her Majesty's Chapel Royal of the Mohawk is located near Deseronto, Ontario, and is one of only six Royal chapels outside of the United Kingdom, and one of two in Canada...

 near Deseronto, Ontario
Deseronto, Ontario
Deseronto is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, in Hastings County, located on the shore of the Bay of Quinte. The town had a population of 1,824 in the Canada 2006 Census.The town was named for Capt...

. It was elevated to a Chapel Royal
Chapel Royal
A Chapel Royal is a body of priests and singers who serve the spiritual needs of their sovereign wherever they are called upon to do so.-Austria:...

 by Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...

 in 1904. The Mohawk Chapel was constructed near Brantford
Brantford, Ontario
Brantford is a city located on the Grand River in Southern Ontario, Canada. While geographically surrounded by the County of Brant, the city is politically independent...

, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

 in 1785 by the British Crown and given to the Mohawk
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...

 Indians led by Joseph Brant
Joseph Brant
Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant was a Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York, who was closely associated with Great Britain during and after the American Revolution. He was perhaps the most well-known American Indian of his generation...

 for their support of the Crown during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

. It was originally called St. Paul's, and is commonly referred to as the Mohawk Chapel.
The church is part of the Anglican Diocese of Huron
Anglican Diocese of Huron
The Diocese of Huron is a diocese of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario of the Anglican Church of Canada. The diocese comprises just over 31,000 square kilometres of the extreme south-western portion of the civil province of Ontario, sandwiched between Lake Huron and Lake Erie...

 and the chaplain is appointed by the Bishop of Huron.

Architecturally, the chapel is a simple building with a rectangular floor plan and constructed of a wood frame faced with painted clapboards. It has been renovated several times through its existence, and it suffered minor damage in November 2001 during two failed arson attempts. Originally the entrance faced east to the canoe landing site on the bank of the Grand River
Grand River (Ontario)
The Grand River is a large river in southwestern Ontario, Canada. From its source, it flows south through Grand Valley, Fergus, Elora, Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, Paris, Brantford, Caledonia, and Cayuga before emptying into the north shore of Lake Erie south of Dunnville at Port Maitland...

. Eight stained glass windows which were installed in 1959–1962, depict events from the history of the Six Nations.

In 1850, the remains of Joseph Brant
Joseph Brant
Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant was a Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York, who was closely associated with Great Britain during and after the American Revolution. He was perhaps the most well-known American Indian of his generation...

 were moved from the original burial site in Burlington
Burlington, Ontario
Burlington , is a city located in Halton Region at the western end of Lake Ontario. Burlington is part of the Greater Toronto Area, and is also included in the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area. Physically, Burlington lies between the north shore of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment...

, to a tomb at the Mohawk Chapel. John Brant, his son, also rests in the tomb. Next to Brant's tomb is a boulder memorializing Pauline Johnson
Pauline Johnson
Emily Pauline Johnson , commonly known as E. Pauline Johnson or just Pauline Johnson, was a Canadian writer and performer popular in the late 19th century...

, who was born in the nearby Six Nations Reserve
Six Nations 40, Ontario
Six Nations is the largest First Nation in Canada with a total of 23,902 band members. 11,865 are reported living in the territory. It is the only territory in North America that has the six Iroquois nations living together. These nations are the Mohawk, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Seneca and...

 and attended services in the Chapel.

The chapel was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1981.

Chaplains and Associated Clergy

1786 to 1827
  • The Reverend John Stuart of Kingston
  • The Reverend Dr. Addison of Niagara
  • The Reverend R. Leeming of Ancaster
  • The Reverend Mr. Hough of England

1827 to present
  • The Reverend Robert Lugger (1827-1837)
  • The Reverend Canon Jame Campbell Usher (1837)
  • The Reverend A. Nelles (1837-1884)
  • Archbishop R. Ashton (1885-1915)
  • The Reverend C.M. Turnell (1915-1917)
  • The Reverend C.H.P. Owen (1922-1929)
  • The Reverend H.W. Snell (1929-1945)
  • Canon W.J. Zimmerman (1945-1981)
  • The Reverend Norman Casey (1981-2003)
  • The Reverend Larry Brown (2004- )

See also

  • Christ Church Royal Chapel
    Christ Church Royal Chapel
    Christ Church, Her Majesty's Chapel Royal of the Mohawk is located near Deseronto, Ontario, and is one of only six Royal chapels outside of the United Kingdom, and one of two in Canada...

    , near Deseronto, Ontario
  • The Crown and the First Nations
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK