A historic church in Sydney will be resurrected over the coming months.

St. Mark's Anglican Church in Coxheath was built in the 1850s. After the church closed its doors in 2009, the congregation donated the building to the nearby Cove Guest Home.

The building was partially dismantled and moved by truck to the Cove property, which was a couple of kilometres away. The church has remained there, empty and in two pieces, ever since.

But it's about to come back to life.

The church will be refurbished as a chapel as part of a $10-million expansion at Williston House, a seniors' apartment complex attached to the Cove.

An artistic conception shows how the former church building will be used in the Cove's renovation. (Submitted by Williston House)

"It's very exciting," said Carl Rideout, a longtime board member at the Cove. The nursing home and the attached apartments do not have a chapel, he said, and that's been an inconvenience for many residents.

"People have gone to church — and most of them have, over the years — and then they're brought to a place like the Cove, and they can no longer get to church. Why should they be penalized for that?" said Rideout.

"It was very important for the board to enhance the lives of our guests and certainly the chapel is going to serve a big part of that."

Carl Rideout, a longtime board member at the Cove Guest Home, said the it was very important to make sure residents at the seniors' complex could continue to attend church. (Wendy Martin/CBC)

Williston House currently has 32 assisted-living apartments; the expansion includes plans for another 50 units.

The chapel will be at the centre of the complex, but there are also plans for a wellness centre in the chapel basement.

The plans call for the retention of many of the church's original features, including its pews, stained-glass windows and baptismal font, which have been in storage, Rideout said.

"We even have the choir gowns!" he said, adding that the chapel will also be open to the public.