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February 19, 1921
“ONE OF THE MOST VENERABLE BUILDINGS” THE OLD PALACE
On this day (February 19, 1919) the Episcopal Palace or Old Palace, the home of the R.C. Archbishop of St. John’s was destroyed by fire.
The Archbishop in describing the ‘Old Palace” wrote that it was “Simple and chaste, yet graceful in architectural outline, it had all the massive solidity that characterized all the buildings of the period to which it belonged. Built nearly seventy years ago, it was one of the most venerable buildings of the past.”
The winter of 1919 had been the worst in fifty years. In one of the severe snowstorms the electric plant at Petty Harbour was damaged, and the city was resultingly deprived of electric light for nearly a week.
While the electric light was off the priests were using candles in the Palace, and it was a lighted candle that was the cause of the accident. The Archbishop laid the responsibility on a visiting Redemptorist priest who was a guest in the Palace.
Archbishop Roche observed that the Palace might have been saved had their been enough water pressure, but such was not the case.
TEMPORARY APARTMENTS FOR THE CATHEDRAL PRIESTS
The next morning the Palace was a total wreck, the upper two stories were completely destroyed and the furniture on the first and second floors was almost irreparably damaged by the downpour of water. One of the more exquisite pieces of furniture to be saved was a dining room table now referred to as the “Archbishop’s Table.”
With their home destroyed temporary apartments for the Cathedral priests were made in the Episcopal Library (now the home of the Basilica Museum) until the new Palace was built.
Archbishop Roche did not deem it opportune to rebuild the Palace at the time because of the poor state of the economy. A year later he ordered a collection be taken up in the city parishes on the First Sunday in Lent, and asked all the Catholic Societies and Associations to contribute. (see: December 14, 1924
The New Palace - The Official Residence of the Bishop: http://www.stjohnsarchdiocese.nf.ca/archive_moment75.asp)
Church Term: A palace is a grand residence, the home of a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palatium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome.
Archival fonds: Archbishop Edward Patrick Roche fonds 107/14/20 and 107/16/2
For more information on this and other related subjects contact the Archives of the R.C. Archdiocese. www.stjohnsarchdiocese.nf.ca
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Larry Dohey
Archives of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John’s
P.O. Box 1363
St. John’s, NL
A1C 5M3
709-726-3660
E-mail: archives@nf.aibn.com
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