An iconic Anglican church in Kensington Market hopes a police investigation will reveal who tried to smash several newly-restored, 161-year-old stained-glass windows last week.

Rev. Maggie Helwig, incumbent priest at the Church of St. Stephen-in-the-Fields, says she learned in a call from cleaning staff on Thursday evening that two ground-floor windows had been broken.

"It wasn't until the sun came up the next day that we could see that attempts had been made to smash a third office window and our large, stained-glass sanctuary windows," Helwig said Sunday.

The sanctuary windows depicting Mary Magdalene, Jesus, and St. Stephen are of particular value and are among the church's most recognizable features.

Safety glass prevented the sanctuary windows from shattering entirely. (James Morrison-Collalto/CBC)

The colourful works of art were refurbished last year at a cost of about $80,000, which was split between the church and Heritage Toronto. The restoration required the seasoned touch of expert craftspeople.

Fortunately, the sanctuary windows were protected by a layer of safety glass, which prevented them from shattering completely.

Helwig filed a report with Toronto police's 14 Division. She said she has no idea if the church was targeted specifically or if the broken and damaged windows were the result of random vandalism.

An officer with the criminal investigations bureau has been assigned to the case, a Toronto police spokesperson told CBC Toronto.

"There are a lot of surveillance cameras in the downtown core, so I'm sure part of the investigation will be to see if they can track down some of that footage," explained Const. Rob Reid.

The church has insurance, Helwig said, but the damage is estimated to cost $30,000. Meanwhile, she has fielded calls from residents offering to help in any way they can.

St. Stephen-in-the-Fields was built in 1858, when the area of what is now Kensington Market was relatively rural. (James Morrison-Collalto/CBC)

"One of the things that has been encouraging is the immediate support from the community," she said.

The church held a service on Sunday morning. Aside from a cold draft, Helwig doesn't expect the damage to cause any further disruptions to the church's operations.

St. Stephen-in-the-Fields was built in 1858, and has been expanded and renovated several times over its long life. The structure is considered to be a masterful demonstration of Gothic Revival architecture and continues to draw worshippers and visitors alike.