St. Patrick’s Church Museum was originally built as a Roman Catholic Church in 1828. The church stands on the former site of a wooden edifice built for the pioneers in 1805. The congregation came from North Sydney, Sydney Mines, Bras d’Or, Low Point and Louisbourg. In 1850 a balcony was added to accommodate the burgeoning population of the area. Due to the increasing size of the congregation, a new church, Sacred Heart, was later built on George Street.
Lebanese immigrants worshipped at St. Patrick’s until 1950. After that period The Ancient Order of Hibernians took it over until the early 1960s. The Old Sydney Society began to restore St. Patrick’s Church in 1966, and it now serves as a museum devoted to preserving and promoting the culture and heritage of Sydney, Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island.
Hours of operation:
Monday – Friday, 10:00AM – 4:00PM
St. Patrick’s can be rented for venues and can be contacted at 902-539-1572 (date availability may vary).
Check out our audio plays, with tapnbe technology you can use your own smart phone to hear stories from Sydney’s past. Samples here: https://youtu.be/9PCikPFaZt8