Name/Title
The Stone Church, CowichanEntry/Object ID
2025.09.05Description
In process
This scene depicts a now-abandoned 19th century sandstone church located on the Cowichan Indian Reserve on Comikan Hill in Duncan, on Vancouver Island B.C., overlooking Cowichan Bay. It is a is a softly rendered representation that balances scenic accuracy at the time with some artistic expression.
The church is the focus of the image framed in part by fencing in the left foreground and a tree on the right. Mount Tzouhalem is shown to the left in the background. Tzouhalem was a legendary Cowichan chief, known as one of the most powerful First Nations Elders in the Pacific Northwest.Artwork Details
Medium
Watercolour on paperSubject Place
Region
Pacific NorthwestContinent
North AmericaContext
The church and its cemetery represent the history of the Cowichan First Nations territory and the early interactions between missionaries and the local Indigenous communities. The Stone Church was built in 1870 by the missionary Father Pierre Rondeault with First Nations help. Father Rondeault had arrived from Quebéc via Fort Victoria in 1858 and he set out to build a congregation in the Cowichan Valley.
Rondeault's first church was a small log building which he built himself with materials donated by local First Nations. He then went on to build the Stone Church atop the site of the original log one. The church was also known as the “Butter Church” (and also St. Ann's), as the Father paid his helpers with funds raised from the sale of butter from his dairy herd on the mission’s farm. Unfortunately, the church was only used for ten years (1870-1880), as it was discovered that the church had mistakenly been built on land without clear title, and the structure was abandoned for a new church ordered by Bishop Modeste Demers, first Bishop of Victoria. Rondeault also opened a school for First Nations boys, and went on to later build a log cabin to serve as school and convent for the Sisters of St. Ann who had arrived in 1864. Reportedly, the Father was highly respected by both the First Nations and non-Indigenous communities. A plaque marking his grave read: “This tomb was erected by Walter Morley Tzouhalem as a tribute of love and gratitude to the memory of Rev. Father Rondeault.”
The abandoned Stone Church was repeatedly vandalized over the years, developing a reputation as being haunted in the local community. Multiple repair attempts were made - in 1922 and 1958 as well as in 1980 when it was rebuilt as a cultural centre -but the church ultimately reverted to its abandoned condition. Fortunately, the church's stained glass windows were salvaged, transported and re-installed in St. Paul’s Church at Fulford Harbour, Salt Spring Island.
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"The Sisters of St. Ann arrived in Victoria from Quebec in 1858 to establish education and health service for new settlers and Indigenous people. While many of their contributions are celebrated, in 2014 the Sisters acknowledged that their involvement in Canada’s Indian Residential Schools contributed to a form of cultural oppression that has had a lasting effect not only on those who attended the schools but also on subsequent generations." See HeritageBC: Web Links belowMade/Created
Artist
Cecil Augustus de Trafford Cunningham (1897-1973)Date made
1950Time Period
20th CenturyNotes
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Born in Wapella, Saskatchewan, Cecil Augustus de Trafford Cunningham served briefly in the 88th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in WWI. After being wounded in the 1916 Battle of the Somme and suffering severe pneumonia, he invalided out of the service, returned to Canada and later began to develop his career as a painter and artist in Nanaimo and Victoria.
He is known for his views of scenery and buildings in Victoria, across Vancouver Island (i.e. Deep Bay, Cameron Lake, Cowichan Bay, Lantzville and Nanaimo) and beyond, such as Banff. Of special note were his totems, buildings and scenes of village life of the Northwest Coast and First Nations people. Cunningham is reported to have won numerous awards and prizes for his watercolours. He exhibited his artwork with the Island Arts and Crafts Society, and also in the B.C. Artists Exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery from 1940 to 1949. He was also a member of the Victoria Sketch Club.
Cunningham died in Victoria in 1973. His son, Reverend Ray Cunningham, published a book on his father, “Through the Eyes of a Gentle Painter", showing many of the watercolours that were purchased by the B.C. Provincial Archives. A large body of his work is also held by Westminster Abbey, a community of Benedictine monks in Mission B.C.Inscription/Signature/Marks
Dimensions
Dimension Description
OverallHeight
48.5 cmWidth
58.5 cmDimension Description
ImageHeight
28 cmWidth
38.5 cmAcquisition
Acquisition Method
GiftDate
Sep 10, 2025Relationships
Related Entries
Notes
By Cecil Augustus de Trafford Cunningham:
2017.04.01 View with a Picnic Table, 1945
2017.04.02 Trawler in the Bay
2017.05.08 Coastal View: Boathouse and Sailboat, 1940
2017.05.18 Beached Dinghy
2018.08.08 Coastal Scene
2025.09.05, Stone Church, Cowichan
Four-Part Gift from The Sisters of Saint Ann, Sept. 10, 2025:
2025.09.03 Dallas Road
2025.09.04 White Calla Lilies
2025.09.05 Stone Church, Cowichan
2025.09.06 St. Ann's AcademyProvenance
Notes
From the Sisters of Saint Ann collection.Copyright
Notes
Images are provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy, or otherwise use these images must be obtained from the copyright holder. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to determine the copyright holder and to obtain permission(s) as needed.
