The History of Holy Cross Cemetery

Located at South and South Park Streets in Halifax,  Nova Scotia, Holy Cross Cemetery is the oldest Catholic Cemetery in the city. 

Since its opening in 1843, an estimated 25,000 souls have been buried at Holy Cross, many of whom are of Irish descent and have made significant contributions to the life of Halifax, Nova Scotia and Canada.  They include:

• historical figures whose contribution to Halifax are memorialized in local street names, such as Tobin, Swaine and Kline
• archbishops, a bishop, and senior clergy whose monuments are located in “Bishop’s Row” close to the cemetery’s Chapel. One of these is Archbishop Walsh who organized the building of the Chapel

Another of the more notable persons buried at Holy Cross is Sir John Sparrow David Thompson, a lawyer and former Justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia who served as the fourth Prime Minister of Canada from December 5, 1892 to December 12, 1894.  Thompson, the first Roman Catholic to hold the office of Prime Minister, was a founder of Dalhousie University Law School and was the federal Minister of Justice who introduced Canada’s Criminal Code.  He was buried on January 3, 1895 after an elaborate funeral in England attended by Queen Victoria.

Holy Cross Cemetery is also the final resting place for many decorated Halifax war heroes who bravely fought in various military campaigns and world wars since the mid-1850’s, including one Halifax native who was awarded the United States Medal of Honor.