Toronto Church Fire That Destroyed Rare Paintings Deemed Possible Arson: Police

Firefighters work to put out a blaze at St. Anne’s Anglican Church in Toronto’s west end on June 9, 2024. The Canadian Press/Cole Burston

A fire at a historic Toronto church that destroyed rare frescoes is now being investigated as a possible arson case, according to police.

A four-alarm fire broke out at St. Anne’s Anglican church on June 9, 2024, destroying the building and damaging Group of Seven murals that were inside.

The Group of Seven were artists active in the early 1900s largely known for their paintings of the Canadian landscape, according to the National Gallery of Canada.

Fire officials said the blaze started shortly before 8 a.m., with smoke and flames shooting through the domed roof of the Byzantine Revival building that was erected in 1908.

No one was inside the church at the time and no injuries were reported.

Toronto police said on Nov. 24 the office of the fire marshal concluded an investigation and deemed the fire a suspected arson. Police said they are investigating.

Anyone with information has been asked to contact police at 416-808-1400, Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or at www.222tips.com.

Church officials said they had been notified of the investigation by police, saying the diocese and parish were “profoundly saddened” by the news.

“We are devastated to hear that the fire that destroyed the congregation of St. Anne’s building on Gladstone may have been deliberately set,” Bishop Kevin Robertson, a suffragan bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto, said in a statement.

He said they were praying for the St. Anne’s congregation, as well as the perpetrator.

“We pray for the person or persons who may have perpetrated this act, that they might seek forgiveness and healing,” Robertson said.

The priest-in-charge of St. Anne’s, Rev. Hannah Johnston, said it had been a “very difficult season” for the St. Anne’s community.

“The church was more than a building, it was a sacred space that held so many memories for St. Anne’s parishioners, our neighbours and outreach community, and people across Canada and beyond. Its loss has been devastating, yet our community is resilient,” Johnston said.

St. Anne’s had paintings by three Group of Seven members and other prominent Canadian artists installed inside in the 1920s. The murals decorated the chancel and dome of the building.

It was the paintings that earned the church the designation of national historic site in 1996, according to Parks Canada.

Parks Canada’s website said the paintings combined “narrative scenes, written texts, as well as decorative plasterwork and detailing accentuating the architectural lines of the building.”

Underneath the murals were mosaics of Italian glass-and-gold tile in Byzantine style that spanned several walls, which had been added in the 1960s.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.