A Delicate Balance: Illuminated Testimonials from the Religious in Western Canada
September 19 - December 14, 2007 at the Provincial Archives of Alberta
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Provincial Archives of Alberta
photo H98.41.109 |
Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. Mark 16:16
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several orders of religious women journeyed
to the Canadian West from eastern Canada and Europe. The impact of these women on the establishment and development
of society in this region was profound. The Sisters worked together with missionary Priests and Brothers to create
schools, hospitals, colleges and churches.
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Provincial Archives of Alberta
photo H98.41.90 |
They served various communities and the poor and most abandoned, dealing with epidemic outbreaks, economic hardships,
treaty negotiations, and settlements with First Nations people and Métis. They also worked with the waves of
European immigrants - mostly French, Polish, and German.
Most of the Sisters who came to the West had been steeped in the intellectual and cultural traditions of Europe.
One of these traditions – illuminated manuscripts – was used as a template for a distinctive Canadian
art form – the testimonial.
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Provincial Archives of Alberta
photo H98.41.18 |
Testimonials are intricately designed letters, often illustrated, that were presented to honored guests visiting
the mission sites. The testimonials helped missionaries to build bridges between their European cultural inheritance
and their life in Canada, to give expression to their imaginative and artistic impulses, and to show their deep
appreciation and regard for religious and secular authorities.
