"St. Raphael’s church was constructed by Scottish pioneers between 1815 and 1821. It was built with Glengarry limestone and had a timber roof supported entirely on the massive stone masonry perimeter walls. Typically, the walls were built in two-wythe masonry construction with rubble infill. The exterior wythe consists of ashlar masonry using regular dressed stones while the interior wythe was built in roughly squared coursed rubble masonry. The interior was originally covered with painted lime plaster. The church was built without any columns and therefore provided an unobstructed view for 1000 people.
"In the fall of 1970, fire destroyed the church interior and roof structure, leaving only the massive stone masonry walls. Soon after the devastation of the fire of 1970, the Ontario Heritage Foundation proceeded with a stabilisation project which resulted in capping the exposed top surface of the walls where the inner and outer stone walls bond to the soft lime mortar core. However, there are still areas where the dressed stone must be rebonded to the core. As well, the possibility of earthquakes required that the now-freestanding gables be pinned and anchored."
Initial stabilization measures were carried out in 1973 and 1986. However, it became evident over the years that more significant intervention was required to preserve this landmark. In 1999, the Friends of the Ruins of St. Raphael successfully raised sufficient funds to complete Phase 3 of the stabilization efforts and today its impressive scale and fine masonry work continue to attract the tourists to the site. The Ruins were declared a National Historic Site in 1999.
Visitors are welcome to tour the site. Gates are open during the day in the summer months with a curator on duty in July and August.
19998 County Rd 18, Williamstown, ON K0C 2J0
St. Raphael’s Ruins are located in South Glengarry on County Road 18 (The King’s Road). It is situated approximately 25 minutes east of Cornwall, 20 minutes south of Alexandria and 15 minutes north of Lancaster. The ruins are an easy day-trip from either Ottawa or Montreal (about an hour’s drive).
There is no charge for individuals visiting the site, but donations are gratefully accepted.
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