Lunenburg in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia — The Atlantic Provinces (North America)

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church
⎯⎯⎯
L'eglise lutherienne evangelique de Sion

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., July 25, 2017

1. Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church / L'eglise lutherienne evangelique de Sion Marker

Inscription. Lunenburg is home to the oldest worshiping Lutheran congregation in Canada. The first Lutherans, mostly Germans from farming districts of the Upper Rhine, settled in the Town in 1753. Initially they worshiped outdoors and later were allowed to use St. John's Anglican Church for prayer and worhip but not for sermons. The first church was built in 1770 using voluntary labour and donated materials. A bell, known as the Saint Antoine-Marie bell which had originally hung in the fortress of Louisbourg, was rung in the new church for the first time on August 11, 1776. In 1841, during the ministry of the beloved Reverend Charles Ernst Cossman, the first church was replaced by a new Gothic structure. The second church was demolished in 1888.

Designed in the High Victorian Gothic style by Halifax architect Henry Busch, the present church was built by George Boehner & Sons of West LaHave and completed on February 15, 1891. Its long gable roof nave runs the length of the building and has a main gable end which is richly ornamented. A large stained glass window serves as a memorial to Reverend Cossman. Asymmetrical buttressed towers

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are attached at the corners of the nave. The steeple is the highest in Lunenburg and is visible from quite a distance out to sea.

The Louisbourg bell, a key and money chest from the first church have survived, providing the members of the congregation with a proud link to the congregation's founders.

Did you know that services at Zion were conducted in German until 1860?
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Lunenburg est le foyer de la plus ancienne congrégation luthérienne au Canada. Les premiers luthériens, la plupart des Allemands originaires des régions agricoles du haut Rhin, se fixent dans la ville en 1753. Au début, ils font leurs dévotions en plein air, mais plus tard ils ont accès à l'église anglicane Saint John pour les prières et les offices du culte, mais pas pour les prêches. La première église est construite en 1770 à l'aide de main-d'œuvre bénévole et de matériaux donnés. Une cloche, appelée la cloche Saint-Antoine-Marie et qui est à l'origine suspendue dans la forteresse de Louisbourg, sonne pour la première fois dans la nouvelle église le 11 août 1776. En 1841, durant le ministère du bien cher révérend Charles Ernst Cossman, la première

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church Heritage Property Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., July 25, 2017

2. Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church Heritage Property Marker

église est remplacée par une nouvelle construction gothique; cette deuxième église sera démolie en 1888.

Conçue dans le style gothique de l'apogée victorienne par l'architecte de Halifax Henry Busch, et construite par George Boehner & Sons de West LaHave, l'église actuelle est achevée le 15 février 1891. Sa longue nef avec toit à pignon s'étend sur toute la longueur de l'édifice et le mur de pignon principal est richement orné. Un grand vitrail sert de monument au révérend Cossman. Des tours à contreforts asymétriques sont fixées aux angles de la nef. Son clocher est le plus haut de Lunenburg et peut se voir à une bonne distance sur l'eau.

La cloche de Louisbourg, une clé et un coffret-caisse sont les seuls éléments de la première église à avoir survécu, constituant pour les membres de la paroisse un lien dont ils sont fiers avec les fondateurs de la congrégation.

Saviez-vous que les services à Sion se sont tenus en allemand jusqu'en 1860?

[Photo captions read/Légendes des photos lues]
• Reverend Charles Ernst Cossman served the congregation from 1835 until 1876./Le révérend Charles Ernst Cossman, pasteur de la congrégation de 1835 à 1876.

• Celebratory model of the church./Maquette commémorative de l'église.

• Zion's Congregation, May 25th, 1947./Congrégation de Sion, le 25 mai 1947.

• Wooden Money Box/Coffret-caisse en bois.

• "Louisbourg" Bell/Cloche de Louisbourg

• Interior views of the church, c. 1900./Vues de l'intérieur de l'église, vers 1900.

• Wagon used by Reverend Cossman./Voiture du révérend Cossman.

For more information on historic Lunenburg, be sure to consult the other interpretive panels located throughout the Town.

Pour de plus amples renseignements sur le Vieux-Lunenbur, ne manquez pas de consulter les autres panneaux d'interpretation placés un peu partout dans la ville.
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Provincial
Heritage

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church Sign image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., July 25, 2017

3. Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church Sign

Property

Registered
Heritage Property
Zion EV. Lutheran Church
Circa 1890

Erected by the Town of Lunenburg and Others.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical date for this entry is February 15, 1891.

Location. 44° 22.738′ N, 64° 18.726′ W. Marker is in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, in Lunenburg County. It is at the intersection of Cornwallis Street and Fox Street, on the left when traveling north on Cornwallis Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 65 Fox Street, Lunenburg NS B0J 2C0, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the Lighthouse Route.

It is also in the Maritimes

and in Atlantic Canada.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

and Acadia.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Lennox Tavern (within shouting distance

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church / L'eglise lutherienne evangelique de Sion and Markers image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., July 25, 2017

4. Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church / L'eglise lutherienne evangelique de Sion and Markers

of this marker); Finck-Holder House (within shouting distance of this marker); Koch-Solomon House (within shouting distance of this marker); St. John's Parish Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); 1753 Open-Air Protestant Interfaith Church Services (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); St. John's Anglican Church / L'église anglicane St. John's (about 90 meters away); St. John's Anglican Church / Église Anglicane St. John (about 90 meters away); The Jessen Bell / La Cloche Jessen (about 90 meters away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lunenburg.

Also see . . .
1. Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church Heritage Registry Information. (Submitted on January 10, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
2. [Zion] Lutheran Church. (Submitted on January 10, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
3. Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church on Facebook. (Submitted on January 10, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)

Credits. This page was last revised on March 18, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 10, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 567 times since then and 72 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 10, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church⎯⎯⎯L'eglise lutherienne evangelique de Sion

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church
⎯⎯⎯
L'eglise lutherienne evangelique de Sion