For more than 150 years, St. Bartholomew’s Anglican Church in Louisbourg, N.S., was able to withstand everything the weather threw at it.
However, in its long history, it never saw anything quite like post-tropical storm Fiona.
“It just tore through it with such energy and force that it weakened the whole structure of the building,” said Peter Rafuse, the church’s minister.
Fiona’s winds are believed to have blown into the old church by coming straight through an upper window.
Inside, the shattered glass is still on the floor a year and a half later.
Pews are scattered everywhere.
However, the real damage is what can’t be seen — engineer examinations have discovered cracks in the building’s beams that would be too expensive to fix.
“We’ve had quotes of over $2 million,” Rafuse said.
“I’m heartbroken. This church has been my life,” added Jon Lawrence, who said he had been attending the church since he was a baby.
With an aging congregation that is now …