Tombstone Tuesday--Eglise Saint Alphonse Church Cemetery, Nova Scotia

Once again Flipside is privileged to present some cemetery photos taken by Paul E. Sanderson. In August Paul took a motor trip to Nova Scotia. Of the numerous small towns and fishing villages he passed through, Saint Alphonse and the Eglise Saint Alphonse Church caught his attention. Located on the Arcadian west coast, north of Yarmouth, the parish of St. Alphonse was established in 1922 when the present church was built.

Paul was particularly taken with the “simplicity of the construction of the church and work of the local craftsmen who built the wooden altar and grotto”. The grotto, located inside the church, is a replica of the Notre Dame de Lourdes grotto. Beautiful intricate murals depicting scenes from the New Testament which were painted by a local artist, Pius LeBlanc, adorn the walls. Paul was not able to get inside the church to photograph the grotto or the murals, so I have, quite shamelessly, borrowed them from a website ;-) The photos are small, however they do give an idea of the workmanship and detail in the grotto, murals and altar.

Paul has captured the diversity of tombstones found in the church’s cemetery…from the simple wooden crosses to the more modern photo like engravings.

Rosary made of glass floats

Lucy Comeau 1886-1951

En Memoire
De
Wallace
1945—1883
R E P
SAULNIER

MARIE SAULNIER
DEC
19 JAN
1938
AGE 82
ANS

R.I.P.

Photography: Paul E. Sanderson
Research: Paul E. Sanderson and Linda Hughes Hiser