Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Anglican church in Manning Avenue, Toronto, Canada.
The Church of St. Mary Magdalene is an Anglican church on Manning Avenue in Toronto, built in the Romanesque Revival style with stone walls and rounded arch windows. It sits on a corner lot and features detailed stonework on both its exterior and interior.
The church was built in 1888 to serve a growing Anglican community in this part of Toronto. Over the following decades it grew from a new parish into a place known well beyond its own congregation, largely because of its musical life.
The church has long been known for choral singing and organ music, drawing people who come specifically for the sound rather than for worship. Attending a service or concert here gives a clear sense of why music has become so central to its identity.
The church is on Manning Avenue and easy to reach on foot if you are in the west end of downtown Toronto. It is worth checking ahead, as access outside of service times can vary and some areas may only be open at specific times.
The composer Healey Willan served as organist and choirmaster here from 1921 until his death in 1968, making this one of the most important places in Canadian music history. Many of his works were written for or first performed by the choir and organ of this church.
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