The Decoration of St. Ann's Academy

Public Architecture for Victorians was about so much more than buildings. It was about art, and St. Ann's Academy was part of a global creative project.

St. Ann's Chapel in 1858 was Victoria's first Catholic Church
Relief carvings at St. Ann's Chapel


However, architecture extended beyond the structures and facads of buildings for Victorians. The interior carvings, stained glass and exterior gardens of St. Ann's were an important part of the tone of the building, and they formed the every-day texture of architecture at St. Ann's for the sisters and students, who encountered and used these spaces.

The interior architecture and more prominently, the décor of St Ann’s Academy has been adorned with feminine and French Catholic influence since it’s humble beginnings as Vancouver Islands first Roman Catholic church opened by Bishop Modest Demers in 1858. (Victoria Daily Times). The chapel in particular is most abundant with décor.