Above, St. Anne's Chapel where John and Catherine were married March 28, 1853.

The Parish of Fredericton was established in 1786 with the first Christ Church (Parish) Church built in 1788 near the corner of King and Church Streets. When the Church of England decided to create a new diocese in the province, the town of Fredericton was chosen as the site for a cathedral. Under ecclesiastical law, the seat of the bishop had to be within a city. Queen Victoria issued letters patent on April 25, 1845 declaring Fredericton to be a city. Incorporation for civic purposes followed in 1848.

Plans were made to build a cathedral roughly 15 feet away from the then current parish church. The Rev. John Medley was consecrated as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Fredericton on May 4, 1845. The cornerstone was laid on October 15, 1845. The Church announced that once the cathedral was built, the original parish church would be torn down. However, this did not sit well with parishioners.

In January, 1846, Bishop John Medley announced that a site had been given by the Hon. John Simcoe Saunders for a church to be located at the corner of George and Westmorland Streets. The cornerstone for the new church was laid on May 30, 1846 by the Hon. Mr. Saunders, and prayers were offered by Bishop Medley. The church was completed within a year and was consecrated on March 18, 1847. The chapel was named St. Anne's Chapel-of-Ease. It was stipulated by Bishop Medley that in this church the pews should be free from rent.

St. Anne's was built to resemble the ancient chapels still existing in England, with the style of architecture being that which had been prevalent in the time of Henry III in the thirteenth century. This chapel has not been modified since the day on which it was consecrated. The chancel and the nave are separated by a freestone arch and butternut screen. The tiles in the sanctuary floor, symbolic of the four evangelists, were obtained from Mr. H. Minton of Stoke-upon-Trent, England. He also gave the tiles for the nave and the porch. The Ladies of Fredericton gave the tiles for the chancel. The furniture was made of butternut, as were the roof, pulpit and altar.

Six years after St. Anne's Chapel had been opened for service, and in order to settle certain difficulties that had arisen, and to better serve the people of the Church of England of the parish, Bishop Medley made an offer to the members of the First Parish Church, to give over to them St. Anne's Chapel to be a parish church. St. Anne's Chapel then became the Second Parish Church, under the name of Christ Church (Parish) Church, though often and commonly referred to as St. Anne's.

Sources

Christ Church (Parish) Church web site @ http://www.angelfire.com/mt/ParishofFredericton/