St. Basil's Church, built in 1856, is the founding church of the Congregation of St. Basil in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the college church of St. Michael's College, Toronto, and a parish church serving a large local congregation.
History
St. Basil's Church was built as part of St. Michael's College. When the College was established by Monseigneur Armand-François-Marie de Charbonnel, the second bishop of Toronto, he entrusted it to the Basilian Fathers who began immediately to look for a site where they might build. Captain, the Honourable John Elmsley, son of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Upper Canada, a convert to Catholicism and a strong supporter of Catholic education, offered to donate land for the construction of the new institution. However, he had one condition, one that the Bishop and the Basilians were quick to accept. The College should include a parish church.
The four lots that Elmsley donated were part of his estate that lay north of the city beyond clover-covered fields that rose gently to a low hill, hence its name, Cloverhill. The Basilians purchased four more lots at a cost of $2,000. The College site lay east-west across the brow of the hill at the estate's southern boundary. The Church opened for worship on September 14, 1856, the College on the following day. The September 26 issue of the Catholic Mirror, describes the building. "Approaching from the south [the city] across open fields the building, constructed of white brick of the highest quality makes a most favourable impression. The College and Church are the finest in this section of the Province being distinctly superior as to situation and appearance to the University and the Colleges that surround them in the same locality".
The general design of the building was in the hands of Father Jean-Mathieu Soulerin, the first Rector of St. Michael's College, in consultation with his Basilian Superior back in France and the Bishop. Details and construction were in the hands of a local architect, William Hay (architect). The architecture of the church was based on 13th century pointed English Gothic, with pointed arches above the windows and a gabled roof, a style favoured by Soulerin. At the official opening St. Basil's Church was fulsomely described as, "One of the finest collegiate churches in North America. Its appearance both within and without is beautiful and though much is yet to be done before it will stand forth in the fullness of the original design it gives even now a fine conception of its intrinsic architectural merit."
The initial architectural plan for the College, including St. Basil's Church, proved to be beyond the funds initially raised for the purpose. The cornerstone was officially laid on Sunday September 16, 1855; and over the following year the Basilians and a group of laymen headed by Elmsley strove mightily to raise the £12,000 (about $20,000), estimated construction costs. They were unsuccessful, however, and the plan was scaled back in line with available funds. Compared to today's figures, construction costs seem unreal. The overall cost amounted to some $12,000, which included the building itself, attendant stables, fencing and some furnishings. Records show the architect's fee was $1,000; the painting contract came to $988. The final cost of the excavation was only $464, the initial estimate having been defrayed by selling the excavated sand that was found to be suitable for use in mixing concrete.