Joanne Sisco

Thursday Doors: Look! It’s A Church!

Somewhere down the ages, there must have been a rule book that required churches to be built with awe-inspiring entrances, for if there is an old church, a wonderful door is also likely to be found.

In downtown Toronto is an old formidable building holding its own amid the towering skyscrapers of the financial district – St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church.

St Andrew's
One of 3 main front doors – photo taken September 2015

I’ve walked by this church countless times over the years and only recently noticed the equally interesting side doors.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
1st Side Door – photo taken March 2016

I love that each door has its own unique features and I would be hard-pressed to pick a favourite.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
2nd Side Door – photo taken March 2016

The construction of St Andrew’s was completed in 1876, which by Toronto standards is quite old.

In true Joanne style, I failed to get a photo of the entire church so I needed to resort to Mr Google to help me provide some perspective on the whole building.

It has a tiny turret at the back on the right side. That alone makes it a delight in my opinion.

St_Andrew's,_Toronto
Image from Wikipedia

… and one last look at one of the side entrances.  I like the addition of the little columns on the upper windows to match the door below.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Thursday Doors is a weekly feature hosted by Norm Frampton from Norm 2.0.  Go take a look and sample some of the interesting doors provided … perhaps you have your own favourite doors you’d like to share.

73 comments

  2. Hello Joanne! I’m FINALLY visiting WP Blogs today 🙂 So much to catch up on!
    What a gorgeous church, and those doors are so unique and beautiful.
    That first image, with the sun and shadows, is stunning

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. Churches do have amazing doors, don’t they? And that is a beautiful church as a whole. I think the big doors inspire a sense of awe and grandeur, but perhaps also to indicate that large numbers are invited to enter. Just guessing. Lovely photos, Joanne.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thanks Diana.

      I think you’re right about the doors needing to accommodate large numbers of people.
      Always the practical one, I tend to see it from a fire code perspective. When you have a building that holds a lot of people, it’s important they can actually get out quickly if needed!!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  4. Awesome door photos and you and the others are correct in that church doors are great objects to photograph as they have character and a lot of history (behind the doors). I should have posted my photos of Florence’s Duomo doors because I just visited there last year; perhaps in another future blog.

    Like

    Reply

  5. Okay, I want an explanation of the title to this post. Because all it made me think of was a trip to Europe when I was 12 and my parents dragging us into every damn church on the continent. I didn’t appreciate it at the time. I did later. And so, on a similar trip some decades later, we dragged our boys into every damn church on the continent. 😀

    The doors are lovely, by the way, but I’ll take the turret every time.

    Like

    Reply

  6. I love how the doors all look alike, yet all seem to have their own personalities. I think I like the color of the first door best. As you say, older churches seem to have been built to be awe-inspiring, probably to reflect the awe felt for the Creator.

    janet

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • I’ve noticed on many of the new churches being built – at least in my area – that the doors are plain glass like you’d expect going into a shopping mall.
      It’s rather a disappointment. Some of these new churches are rather beautiful, but plain glass doors. 😦

      Like

      Reply

  8. Those are beautiful doors! I thought I really like the first one until the 3rd one! I like the hardware, on all of them, and the archways! Wow! Each different and beautifully constructed. I like them all!

    Like

    Reply

  9. This is a beautiful, stately church, Joanne. I loved the details, as I studied the photos and my mind liked the zig zags, which reminded me of my childhood quilted “jumper” my Mom made for me, sewing red ‘rickrack’ in the bottom and along the pockets edges. Isn’t this funny how our mind wanders backward, sometimes? The metal grill work looks so nice, hinges and curlicues, adds to the doors. The first one is stained such a lovely color like an oak stain. Churches are splendid examples for doors posts! 🙂

    Like

    Reply

    • I’m starting to feel that church doors are a ‘cheat’ for those weeks when I don’t have the time and/or energy to pull together something else. They’re so easy and always beautiful 😉

      I remember that rickrack very well. My mother made all our clothes when we were young and it seems like I had rickrack on everything!!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  11. Lovely doors/entrances! Such great details … those columns are beautiful! I love that mix … like you said, this old church stands it on amongst the high rises. I haven’t been to Toronto, but I saw a similar thing, from the bus window in Montreal. I don’t know which church it was there, I ‘ve never been there either … just going to their airport.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  16. When you admire the details like this it’s so clear that we’re in a very inelegant age of architecture. You’re right though – these grandiose entrances were meant to put the little people in their place- in awe of what the church stood for and the power it held at the time.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Your words have captured it well – ‘an inelegant age of architecture’. It all seems to be glass and concrete now.

      When I did this post I realized I know shockingly little about architecture and I think that might be my next new book!!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  18. Incredible doors! Love!
    I usually fail to get the whole thing, too. Then I say, “Meh, it’s all about the doors.” But you know, when I see the whole church from your Googled photo, I can see how you’ve overlooked them so many times. This happens to me often. Up close, they’re amazing. From a distance, not so much.

    Like

    Reply

  21. I love the first two photos and the doors. They are gorgeous. As you said, if there is an older church, there are amazing doors. It’s interesting how every church is so different in its architecture and use of materials, but they all end up being such beautiful structures.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • That was my reaction too. There are certain details that carry through to each door but used a little differently.
      I know zip about architecture, but every once in a while I encounter a building like this one that makes me wish I did.

      Like

      Reply

  27. Isn’t it funny how sometimes we don’t see what we have been looking at forever. It’s one of the things I love about the blog and taking more photos. It’s made me more observant. Lots of history in these doors that’s for certain.

    Like

    Reply

      • I hear some say that one doesn’t experience life as much because one is always behind the camera. I beg to differ. Seems like my life exploded in adventure, experiences and friends. 😉

        Like

        Reply

        • Amen to that! That was my reaction as well.
          Because of the camera, I now notice details, I see little vignettes I wouldn’t have otherwise noticed … little things like the way the low sun creates shadows.

          Like

          Reply

    • Since I started following this challenge, I’ve become so much more aware of doors than I’ve ever been. It seems that old churches really have a monopoly on grandness 🙂

      Like

      Reply

Leave a comment