St. Rafaels' Ruins

Begun in 1815, St. Rafael's Church stood at the heart of a historic Highland settlement in Upper Canada, serving as the centre of the colony's largest and most important parish and as the administrative headquarters of the first Roman Catholic bishop, Alexander Macdonell. The parish became the cradle of Catholicism in Ontario, and the ruins left after the fire of 1970 reflect Macdonell's determined efforts to advance his faith.

Ontario · Canada