Description of Historic Place

St. Joachim's Roman Catholic Church is a large Gothic Revival church built of Prince Edward Island brick located on the crest of a hill overlooking the community of Vernon River and surrounding area.

Heritage Value

St. Joachim's Roman Catholic Church is valued for its brick construction, for its connection with the history of the Roman Catholic church in the area, its importance to the community and as a visual landmark. The church was named in honour of St. Joachim, the husband of St. Anne, and father of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

St. Joachim's parish in Vernon River was established in 1804 and a log church located in Waterside was used for services. A small pioneer cemetery marks the location of the original log church.

Construction of St. Joachim's RC Church began in 1877 and completed in 1879. It is believed the architect was John McLellan (1820-1887) who also designed St. Brigid's Roman Catholic Church in Foxley River (1873), St. Joseph's Convent in Charlottetown and very likely the Church of Christ in Montague (1876-1879). A church bell was installed and dedicated in 1886 and in 1902 a new pipe organ was celebrated. Due to the deteriorating condition of the original 150' spire, it was removed and replaced in the mid-1960s with the current, much smaller scale, spire. The ornamental turrets on the tower and on the front facade were also removed at this time. In 1971 a side chapel dedicated to St. Anne was completely renovated and in 1973 the sanctuary was extended by 12 feet. The main Gothic window on the front elevation was replaced as were the lower half of the original front doors.

Other buildings associated with St. Joachim's Roman Catholic Church include the brick parochial house dated 1868, and the parish hall that was built in 1900, both of which are still in use, and the St. Joachim's Waterside Pioneer Cemetery located in nearby Pownal or Waterside.

Source: Culture and Heritage Division, Department of Tourism and Culture, Charlottetown, PE
File #: 4310-20/S34

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the church is shown in the following character-defining elements:

- the stone foundation
- the brick construction with sandstone detailing
- the brick and stone detailing surrounding the Gothic windows
- the Gothic windows with tracery including quatrefoils in the arches
- the stained glass windows
- the keystone carved with the date 1877 above the Gothic door
- the stone false buttresses
- the square brick tower
- the painted brick detailing
- the Gothic door openings with quatrefoil and trefoil detailing in the arch panels
- the roof pitch and the eave returns
- the spire
- the crosses found on the roof and spire
- its location overlooking the community of Vernon River and surrounding area