History

St. Saviour's is the oldest continuing Protestant congregation in the South Okanagan.  The first Protestant church services were held in the drawing room of rancher Tom Ellis's home, who with his family were the first non-native settlers in the area.  Mr. Ellis, originally from Ireland, led the planning for the new town of Penticton.  The original Anglican Church, built in 1892, was named St. Saviour's in gratitude to God for sparing the Ellis family from a tragic accident.

In 1934, the chancel of Saint Saviour's was relocated from the original site on the Ellis homestead (Fairview Road Cemetery) to become part of the current Anglican Church at the corner of Winnipeg Street and Orchard Avenue.  The Ellis Memorial Chapel still stands at Saint Saviour's, and is Penticton's oldest historical building.