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12-30-2011, 10:05 PM
Here are a few pictures of the Sharon Temple. I was only able to get some outside shots as it was closed for the winter. Will have to make a return visit when it is open to get pictures of the inside. For those who are interested, here is the history.
In the Upper Canada of the 1820s, with simple tools but consummate skill and artistry, a small community known as the Children of Peace crafted a dramatic architectural testament to its vision of a society founded on the values of peace, equality and social justice.
This plain folk of former Quakers led the country’s first farmers’ co-operative, built its first shelter for the homeless, and played a key role in the development of democracy by ensuring the elections of William Lyon Mackenzie, and both fathers of responsible government – Robert Baldwin and Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine – in the formative years before Canadian confederation.
The Temple of the Children of Peace in the village of Sharon – with its Ark of the Covenant, inspirational Banners, Pipe and Barrel Organs and Jacob’s Ladder – was completed in 1832. It lives on as the centerpiece of the Sharon Temple National Historic Site, which encompasses nine historic buildings in a park setting.
The architectural elements of the Temple combine to express a singular religious vision of the most striking beauty. Its three tiers, four-fold symmetry, lanterns and pinnacles all take their inspiration from the Bible. Jacob’s Ladder, a gently curved staircase, leads to the musicians’ gallery above. Its three stories represent the Trinity. The four central pillars even bear names: Faith, Hope, Love and Charity.
Known for their pageantry, the Children of Peace integrated a unique social vision with distinctive artistic and architectural works and an unparalleled musical tradition: they formed the first civilian band in Canada and commissioned the first organ built in Ontario.
Leader David Willson’s Study of 1829, a smaller architectural gem, echoes the form of a vanished meetinghouse. The Ebenezer Doan house of 1819, constructed by the Temple’s master-builder and relocated from the former Doan family farm nearby, has been restored in an early garden setting. And do not miss another of David Willson’s architectural curiosities – the round outhouse
In the Upper Canada of the 1820s, with simple tools but consummate skill and artistry, a small community known as the Children of Peace crafted a dramatic architectural testament to its vision of a society founded on the values of peace, equality and social justice.
This plain folk of former Quakers led the country’s first farmers’ co-operative, built its first shelter for the homeless, and played a key role in the development of democracy by ensuring the elections of William Lyon Mackenzie, and both fathers of responsible government – Robert Baldwin and Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine – in the formative years before Canadian confederation.
The Temple of the Children of Peace in the village of Sharon – with its Ark of the Covenant, inspirational Banners, Pipe and Barrel Organs and Jacob’s Ladder – was completed in 1832. It lives on as the centerpiece of the Sharon Temple National Historic Site, which encompasses nine historic buildings in a park setting.
The architectural elements of the Temple combine to express a singular religious vision of the most striking beauty. Its three tiers, four-fold symmetry, lanterns and pinnacles all take their inspiration from the Bible. Jacob’s Ladder, a gently curved staircase, leads to the musicians’ gallery above. Its three stories represent the Trinity. The four central pillars even bear names: Faith, Hope, Love and Charity.
Known for their pageantry, the Children of Peace integrated a unique social vision with distinctive artistic and architectural works and an unparalleled musical tradition: they formed the first civilian band in Canada and commissioned the first organ built in Ontario.
Leader David Willson’s Study of 1829, a smaller architectural gem, echoes the form of a vanished meetinghouse. The Ebenezer Doan house of 1819, constructed by the Temple’s master-builder and relocated from the former Doan family farm nearby, has been restored in an early garden setting. And do not miss another of David Willson’s architectural curiosities – the round outhouse