HISTORY – The followers of Jesus met in houses for the first few centuries (Acts12:12). When the Christian religion was made the national religion of the Roman Empire in the 4th century CE, a Roman building of importance was needed and the BASILICA was chosen. With high centre space, rectangular in plan, with lower side aisles, and the area for important officials at the end, the historical Basilica provided space protected from the elements, where a large group of people could hear one person speak or read, could join together in prayers or singing, could share sermons and ceremonies.

Basilicas have been used as churches in many different periods of design, with many different materials for structural systems. If wood were used, the result was posts with beams and trusses and rectangular openings; the use of stone meant columns with lintels, or arches and arched window openings, vaults and domes; the use of reinforced concrete and/or structural steel meant that columns with beams or trusses, and wide rectangular openings would be found.

Basilicas have been decorated in many different styles, depending on the different ideas of beauty of the period – Classic, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Revivals (Classic and Gothic) and Modern.

Builders have always attempted to provide a church that would evoke in the spectator a feeling of devotion, awe, spirituality – hallowed in the presence of the Sacred.

In the great Cathedrals of the medieval period in Europe, particularly in England, all plans were oriented with the altar placed to the east. The interior was divided into two definite areas, the Chancel where the clergy conducted the services and the Nave used by lay people (without seating).

When St. George’s Church was planned and built 1955–58, a very strong effort was made by the rector, Roy Gartrell, and the architect, Les Russell, to open up the whole interior—Chancel and Nave became one. After 1950 the approach was that the clergy, servers and congregation all had duties of ministry; all gather around the Communion Table; all were responsible for the advancement of God’s work. Although there was still a slight change of floor level, space flowed freely between Chancel and Nave, and the Communion Table was accessible to all. This is MODERN.

Carrying around the whole interior (broken line on plan) is a projection (at the 10′-0″ height) that extends from the Choir Balcony to the west Window and back again to the balcony, and which ties the whole interior together – Nave and Chancel – Congregation and Clergy.

The walls of the Nave are not parallel as can be seen on the plan. They converge slightly towards the Chancel end. The ceiling is also higher at the Chancel end. These angled surfaces contribute to the good acoustics of the building. The masonry walls of the Nave, being a 4″ veneer of Tyndall Stone on hollow tile, are shown with the vertical grooves that describe a veneered surface. The exterior wall is treated in a similar manner.

Looking towards the large colourful window and Chancel, there is laid out the whole of the Christian life from Font – Baptistry at the far right, the first ceremony, through the Christian Life’s experiences to the Memorial Book at the extreme left.

This area has been set aside for the remembrance of past members of St. George’s Church. The Memorial Book, placed in a case on the table contains the name of each member of St. George’s Parish who has died in Winnipeg in the last 30 years. There is also, on the wall a long panel with the names of all people who have been memorialized by gifts sent to the Memorial Fund Inc. This Fund was set up when Arthur Thompson was the Rector, and is used to provide revenue for the upkeep of the fabric of the Church—a very necessary income for the maintenance of this large complex of buildings.

A Basilica type Christian church such as St. George’s, was designed with columns carrying the weight of the Nave walls in order to allow space to flow freely between the high Nave and the low side Aisles. Columns, being cylindrical, present curved surfaces to be finished. Traditionally mosaics (small pieces of stone, glass or tile) have been used to cover curved surfaces, domes, semi-circular apses, etc., in Christian Churches, and so this material – mosaic tile – was used on the columns at St. George’s.

Mosaics

One reads with interest how the Medieval people of Chartres, France, banded together to pull the stones to the site for the Cathedral. In 1957, the congregation of St. George’s worked together to provide some of the material needed for the Church.

Assembly of glass mosaics

The Design committee selected a colour combination of glass tiles which recalled the many colours of the stained glass in the West Window, and was suggested by George Swinton, a Canadian artist living in Winnipeg. Red, green, yellow, pink, brown, black, as well as many blues were used. This multi-colour approach was the technique of the “Impressionist” painters and results in a much more vibrant, coloured surface than if only one colour were used.

An Italian firm was contacted to supply the tiles, but communication broke down, and George Swinton had to buy the coloured tiles wherever he could find them.

The Church Warden made 12″ x 12″ plaster moulds to hold the individual tiles, and many bags were filled with the 225 tiles of correct colour mix needed for each mould. Members of the congregation were each given a bag and a plaster mould and asked to lay the tiles in place. The tiles were then covered with paste and paper so the tile setters could apply the tiles to the columns. Volunteers returned many times to fill the forms as there were 720 sheets of paper with tiles adhering, required. In all 162,000 tiles were needed to cover all the columns in the Church.

You can still make out the 12″ x 12″ areas on some columns.

The Side Altar was brought to the new church from the 1927 St. George’s. In the earlier church it was placed against the wall, here it is against curtains but the ceremony is the same. During the service, the priest stands in front of the Altar, his back to the congregation. The people follow from behind and approach the railings to receive the “creatures of bread and wine” – the symbolic “body and blood of Christ”.

The sentence “DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME’ (Lk.22:28) is carved across the Altar recalling the words Jesus is said to have spoken “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” (Jn.6:56)

A pulpit in a church is a raised unit near a Chancel, usually square or octagonal in plan, from which it is possible for an individual to address the congregation. In Anglican churches, the pulpit is placed to the congregation left. During the Sunday service a talk is given (the sermon), usually by a member of the clergy – preaching, teaching and discussing contemporary religious questions.

As it is the focus of attention during the sermon, there have been times in the past when artists have designed panels of important religious content for the pulpits. The pulpit at George’s is decorated with Gothic Precedent details of minimum consequence, trefoil arches in the panels and cusped finials carved on the vertical. Oak leaves and acorns decorate the mouldings (England).

There is always an embroidered textile panel hanging from the Pulpit shelf during a service. It identifies the liturgical season by colour, and usually illustrates an important religious symbol.

HISTORY – In earlier Churches, an elaborate stone wall of carvings (Reredos) was placed behind the altar.

At St. George’s, there is an 8′-0″ high wall of plywood panelling, on which are applied small carved wooden units, as plywood shouldn’t be carved. Motifs include, at the congregation extreme left, an emblem for the Creation and carrying around to the extreme right to symbols of the Resurrection and the Ascension. The 2′-0″ x 8′-0″ wood panels (plywood – the modern method of handling wood) are separated by vertical grooves which describe this surface layer – “veneer of wood”, just as the upper walls show vertical grooves to describe the “veneer of Tyndall Stone”’

Sedilia (Seating) is provided at each side of the Chancel for those involved in the services. The design is Modern, the pieces being made of medium toned oak and walnut, in simple, straight square lines — undecorated.

The motifs embroidered on the kneelers of the sedilia on the congregation left, the Old Testament side, identify:

• The doves and rainbow after the flood – “God’s covenant never to destroy the earth again” (Gen.8:6–11, 9:11–15)
• The burning bush – “the place whereon you are standing is holy ground” (Ex.3:2–5)
• The flowering rod of Aaron – “you have been chosen” (Num. 17:2–8)

The embroidery on the kneelers of the sedilia on the congregation right, the New Testament side, is motifs identifying the Trinity:

• The Hands of God (Jn.10:29)
• The Lamb of Christ (Jn.1:29)
• The Dove of the Holy Spirit (Matt.3:16)

It has been necessary to provide certain fittings for storage of pamphlets and other literature, technical equipment, accessories for services, collection plates, etc., as well as horizontal surfaces for display of literature (large displays areas in Parish Hall), signing of Visitor’s Book, etc., and a table by the Font during Baptism service.

CABINETS were custom designed for storage requirements of the Modern Service, given by Martha Guild (1960).

TABLES were custom designed for the Modern Church, 2003, given in memory of Errick F.Willis (Lieutenant Governor 1980–85) and Louise I.Willis.