BRESAYLOR - Ste. Anne’s Church is still attracting attention at 115 years of age. The church has become known as the leaning church of Bresaylor among photo enthusiasts. This summer a turkey vulture has taken up residence in the church’s bell tower. Tourists visiting the museum have asked if they could walk over and view the outside of the building.
The church was designed by an experienced architect from England, George Stephenson, who had come west with the Barr colonists. He married a relative of the Taylors from Bresaylor and lived in Bresaylor for a time. Stephenson started an engineering firm with offices in Paynton and Battleford. In 1910 he opened a branch office in North Battleford. When World War I began, the offices were closed and Stephenson went off to war. When he returned, he moved to Regina where he was hired as the provincial architect. Later he worked for the federal government.
In September 1906, Thomas Griffith, a carpenter and another new arrival to the settlement, along with the help of volunteers began construction of Ste. Anne’s Church. The newly erected church was dedicated on Dec. 16 by Bishop Newman. Bishop Newman was the driving clergyman over a vast parish which extended from Cut Knife and Wardenville in the south, to Mervin in the north, Delmas in the east and Maidstone in the west. At that time, the building cost was $1,300, not counting the cost of the lots. The 60-foot-long building had a seating capacity of 150, with the first organ donated by the Griffith family.
In 1907, morning and evening services were conducted. One Sunday morning, 33 people attended the morning service, with 16 people attending the evening service. At Thanksgiving Day service that year, there were 66 people in attendance. In the early days, the church had a male quartet.
On July 3, 1932, the church held a special service to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first church service held in the Bresaylor settlement. Unfortunately, Canon Clark, who had conducted the first service in the summer of 1882, was unable to attend. The special service began with communion followed by a tribute to the first settlers and a pilgrimage to the place where the first service was held. The site is marked by the cellar of the Taylor house that had burned down in the 1885 North West Rebellion. A large crowd made the pilgrimage, despite the rain. To commemorate the occasion, new pews were purchased, with names of the donors engraved.
In later years, the Anglicans shared their church with the United Church. The two congregations held alternating weekly church services, with many worshipping at both services.
Ste. Anne’s Church ceased to function as a church in the 1960s. The last service held was the funeral service of Joseph Sayers in September 1966. Joseph Sayers was the father of Joseph Sayers Jr., who later started the Bresaylor museum. Anglican and United Church parishioners then traveled to Paynton to attend church.
Velma Foster purchased the stately old church in 1974 and became the curator of the museum after Joseph Sayers Jr. passed away in 1983. Velma created an art studio and living quarters in the church.
On June 30, 1989, a tornado ripped through the area, causing a path of destruction from Cut Knife to Glaslyn. Fortunately, no one was killed or injured. Vehicles were rolled off the highway and grain bins were thrown around like toys. If you look at the elevator south of the tracks at Bresaylor, you can still see the lean of the elevator against the annex. The tornado moved Ste. Anne’s church off its foundation, with the doors moved four feet from the steps. Velma had the church moved back on its foundation; however, because of structural damage, the building was unsafe to live in. She purchased another home in Bresaylor.
Finances never became available to restore the old church, which sits empty today and in the last few years has developed a lean.
This is the last article in the series. We look forward to welcoming visitors to the Bresaylor museum.
Check out the Bresaylor Heritage Museum Facebook page for more information. The museum is open by appointment only from June 9 to Aug. 31. Please phone 306-895-4813.
