The Cathedral of Saint-Jean-l'Évangéliste (St.

John the Evangelist John the Evangelist ( – ) is the name traditionally given to the author of the Gospel of John. Christians have traditionally identified him with John the Apostle, John of Patmos, and John the Presbyter, although there is no consensus on how ...

) is the seat of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Jean-Longueuil Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of Roman civilization * Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter ...

in Canada. It is located in the city of

Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu () is a city in eastern Montérégie in the Canadian province of Quebec, about southeast of Montreal, located roughly halfway between Montreal and the Canada–United States border with the state of Vermont. It is sit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

History

The cathedral was founded as a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

in 1828 to serve the people of the region, who until then had to cross the Iroquois River for religious services in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, some 50 km (30 miles) away. The original church fronted on the Rue Jacques-Cartier. Within 30 thirty years the need for repairs of the existing church had become so great that it was decided to build a new one. Given the increased commerce on the river and the incorporation of the town in the 1850s, it was decided to build a larger and grander structure. Construction began in 1861 and lasted five years, under the architect Victor Bourgeau. The interior was designed by

Napoléon Bourassa Napoléon Bourassa (; October 21, 1827 – August 27, 1916) was a prominent Canadians, Canadian architect, painter and writer whose offices were located in Montreal, Quebec. Early life and training Born in L'Acadie, Quebec, he studied at Col ...

. The new church had been built with a different orientation, and now fronted on the Rue Longueuil. Major renovations were done in 1923 to repair the facade and steeple. The region was separated from the

Archdiocese of Montreal The Archdiocese of Montréal () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Canada. A metropolitan see, its arch episcopal see is the Montreal, Quebec. It includes Montreal and surrounding areas within Queb ...

in June 1933, and established as the new Diocese of Saint-Jean-de-Québec. The church was designated as the

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

of the new diocese. In 1982 the diocese was renamed to the one it has now. The Church of Saint-Antoine-de-Padoue (St.

Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua, Order of Friars Minor, OFM, (; ; ) or Anthony of Lisbon (; ; ; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese people, Portuguese Catholic priest and member of the Order of Friars Minor. ...

) was designated a

co-cathedral A co-cathedral is a cathedral church which shares the function of being a bishop's seat, or ''cathedra'', with another cathedral, often in another city (usually a former see, anchor city of the metropolitan area or the civil capital). Instances o ...

to serve the northern sector of the diocese. Currently the cathedral parish serves the southwest region of the diocese and now covers five former parishes in the region which have been closed for reasons of finance or the need for repairs.

References

Roman Catholic churches completed in 1828 Roman Catholic churches completed in 1866

Saint-Jean Saint-Jean (French for Saint John) may refer to: Places Belgium * Sint-Jan, a borough of Ypres, sometimes referenced as ''Saint-Jean'' in a World War I-related context Canada *Lac Saint-Jean *Lac-Saint-Jean-Est Regional County Municipality *L ...

Buildings and structures in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu 1828 establishments in Lower Canada Churches in Montérégie 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Canada {{Canada-RC-cathedral-stub