This year is the 100th anniversary of the beginning of construction on Christ Church Cathedral in Victoria. This building is the 3rd iteration of Christ Church. The first wooden building burned down in 1856, and the second (seen in the foreground of the form and order of service programme) was deconsecrated when the new cathedral opened in 1929.
The cathedral was designed by architect J.C.M. Keith, who was awarded the project in 1891 after an international design competition. A breaking ground ceremony for the cathedral was held on May 20, 1926, from which the diocesan archives hold an order of service programme.
Nearly one year later, on March 21, 1927, the foundation stone for the cathedral was laid by the Bishop of London. The ceremony was attended by many Canadian and American bishops, including Bishop Charles Schofield, then-bishop of the Diocese of British Columbia, as well as a large crowd of onlookers, as can be seen in the photograph above. The building was consecrated 3 years later, and the first service was held in the new Christ Church Cathedral on September 28, 1929.
