Province Nova Scotia | ||
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Address 1259 South Park St, Halifax, NS B3J 2K8, Canada Hours Open today · 6AM–9:45PMMonday6AM–9:45PMTuesday6AM–9:45PMWednesday6AM–9:45PMThursday7AM–10:15PMFriday7AM–10:15PMSaturday7AM–10:15PMSunday6AM–9:45PM Burials John Sparrow David Thompson, Charles Robinson Similar Saint Mary's Cathedral, Mount Olivet Cemetery, Camp Hill Cemetery, Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Fairview Lawn Cemetery | ||
Holy Cross Cemetery is a cemetery in Halifax Nova Scotia, owned and operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth. It was constructed in 1843 under the direction of Archbishop William Walsh, on land provided by local authorities. Since then some 25,000 persons have been buried there, many of Irish descent, including Canada's fourth Prime Minister, Sir John Sparrow Thompson.
Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel is said to have been built in one day on Aug. 31, 1843 by 2,000 volunteers, although the foundation and some prefabrication had been done in advance. The chapel's modest design is described as a Nova Scotian expression of Gothic revivalism. The furnishings are sparse and modest but the altar reliefs have received national recognition, and the windows have been described as a nationally significant collection of stained glass.
Holy Cross Cemetery served as the primary burial ground for Halifax Catholics until 1896, and although interments continued through the twentieth-century the site had fallen into disrepair by 2005. The Holy Cross Cemetery Trust was established in 2006, and a program of restoration and beautification by volunteers has been in progress since 2008, repairing fences, the chapel, and 1800 of the current 2500 gravemarkers.
Among the more well-known families there are the Kennys of Halifax (Hon. Sir Edward Kenny, Thomas Edward Kenny, etc.) The cemetery contains war graves of nine Canadian service personnel, six of World War I and three of World War II.