Mohawk Chapel
| Her Majesty's Royal Chapel of the Mohawks | |
|---|---|
Mohawk Chapel, Brantford, Ontario
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| Denomination | Anglican Church of Canada |
| Website | mohawkchapel.ca |
| History | |
| Dedication | Chapel Royal |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Huron |
| Province | Canada |
Her Majesty's Royal Chapel of the Mohawks is the oldest surviving church building in Ontario and the first Anglican church in Upper Canada. It is one of six Chapels Royal outside of the United Kingdom and one of two in Canada, the other being Christ Church Royal Chapel in Deseronto, Ontario. In 1981, the chapel was designated a National Historic Site of Canada.
Constructed near Brantford, Ontario in 1785 by the British Crown, the chapel was given to the Mohawk Indians led by Joseph Brant, for their support of the Crown during the American Revolution. They had migrated to Canada after Britain lost the Thirteen Colonies and were awarded land for resettlement. Originally called St. Paul's, the church is commonly referred to as the Mohawk Chapel. It is part of the Anglican Diocese of Huron and has a chaplain appointed by the Bishop of Huron in consultation with the congregation.
In 1850, the remains of Joseph Brant were moved from the original burial site in Burlington, to a tomb at the Mohawk Chapel. His son John Brant was also interred in the tomb. Next to Brant's tomb is a boulder memorializing the writer Pauline Johnson, who was born in the nearby Six Nations Reserve and attended services in the Chapel.
The site was elevated in 1904 to a Chapel Royal by King Edward VII.
Architecturally, the chapel is a simple building with a rectangular floor plan; it is constructed of a wood frame faced with painted clapboards. It has been renovated several times. In November 2001, it suffered minor damage during two failed arson attempts. Originally the entrance faced east to the canoe landing site on the bank of the Grand River, the transportation route. Eight stained glass windows, installed between 1959 and 1962, depict events from the history of the Six Nations of the Iroquois.
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