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Église Sainte-Marie wins $50K in national heritage competition

   NewVernon Ramesar
   | CBC News | Posted: April 25, 2026 8:44 PM | Last Updated:
   Just now

   Landmark in Church Point, N.S., needs urgent repair

   Image | The 115-year-old Église Sainte-Marie in the community
   of Church Point, N.S. has significant water damage.

   Caption: Église Sainte-Marie in Church Point, N.S., has
   significant water damage. (Kassandra Nadeau-Lamarche/CBC)
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   Église Sainte-Marie in Church Point, N.S., has won $50,000 in a
   national competition.
   The official announcement in the National Trust for Canada’s
   Next Great Save competition was made Friday.
   Recognized as the tallest wooden church in North America, it
   serves as a symbol of Acadian heritage and community identity.
   The building faced the prospect of demolition last year, but
   the Association Sainte-Marie Héritage et Développement
   successfully advocated to preserve its provincial heritage
   status.
   Stéphanie St-Pierre, the association's co-founder and
   co-president, said the money will go toward urgent repairs.
   These include fixing a large front window currently patched
   with plywood, repairing a leaning spire on a side tower, and
   reattaching ornamental woodwork that is falling off due to
   failing fasteners.
   The project also includes repairing the bell system. St-Pierre
   said the community hopes to hear the bells ring for the first
   time in years on Aug. 15, the Acadian national holiday.
   St-Pierre welcomed the money but said the full restoration will
   take years.
   “The final price tag will be a few million dollars for sure,”
   she said.
   She added that the association is taking a phased approach,
   working to stop deterioration first.
   The building and Trinity Anglican Church in Digby were the only
   Maritime finalists in the competition.
   “Thank you to everyone who voted every day, who were
   enthusiastic about this project,” she said. “We are so
   incredibly grateful.”
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