St. Thomas of Villa Nova Cemetery Municipal Heritage Site

St. Thomas of Villa Nova Cemetery has been designated a Municipal Heritage Site because it has historic, cultural and environmental values.

St. Thomas of Villa Nova Cemetery has historic values because of its early associations with the development of Roman Catholicism in the Topsail area. The parish encompassed a grouping of communities to form a single parish called St. Edward’s. In the mid-1800s St. Edward’s Chapel was built on the cemetery land, but has since been demolished. Eventually, a new church was built in another nearby location and was renamed St. Thomas of Villa Nova. The old cemetery was renamed to reflect its associations with the new church.

St. Thomas of Villa Nova Cemetery is also historically valuable because it contains headstones dating to the early 19th century, the earliest known is dated 1848. These gravemarkers serve as a genealogical record for community founders as well as a record of early settlement and land use. Some graves reveal immigration patterns from Ireland, while others reflect those who were “part time parishioners” – those who vacationed in the area during the summer, but were residents of St. John’s.

St. Thomas of Villa Nova Cemetery has cultural value as it represents a time when Roman Catholicism was in its earliest stages in the area. It serviced several nearby communities and so the cemetery was centrally located to meet the needs of the growing Roman Catholic population. It is still being used today for Roman Catholics in the area. It stands as a memorial to past and non-residents of the St. Edward’s/ St. Thomas of Villa Nova Parish.

St. Thomas of Villa Nova Cemetery has environmental value because of its location between Topsail Road, the main road through the community for more than 200 years, and Topsail Beach. It achieves environmental value due to its coastal setting. St. Thomas of Villa Nova is situated on a gently sloping piece of land that tapers towards the Atlantic Ocean, and offers a panoramic view of Conception Bay and Bell Island.