Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church (french: Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal) is a

Roman Catholic 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 ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church built in 1872 in the borough of

Le Plateau Mont-Royal Le Plateau-Mont-Royal () is a Montreal borough, borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Plateau-Mont-Royal takes its name from its location on a plateau, on the eastern side of Mont-Royal and overlooking downtow ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Its address is 4237 Henri-Julien Avenue (corner Rachel Street). It can accommodate 2,800 people, and is the largest church in Montreal after the Notre-Dame Basilica and

Saint Joseph's Oratory Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal (french: Oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal) is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and national shrine located at 3800 Queen Mary Road in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood on Mount Royal's Westmount Summit in ...

History

In June 1872, the owners of the Village Saint-Jean-Baptiste yielded twenty plots of land on Rachel Street to the Archdiocese of Montreal. The first church was built in 1875 according to plans by Alphonse Raza. In 1880, the citizens refused to contribute to a voluntary fund to pay for the construction of their church. Their refusal required the Village of Saint-Jean-Baptiste to pay for the church. As a result, the village experienced financial trouble and was quickly merged into the City of Montreal. A major fire destroyed the church on January 29, 1898. Far from being discouraged, the parish then proposed a competition for the city's Catholic architects. Emile Vanier won the competition. The new church was inaugurated in 1903. It could accommodate up to 3,200 worshippers and featured a

Casavant Frères Casavant Frères is a Canadian organ building company in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, which has been building pipe organs since 1879. As of 2014, the company has produced more than 3,900 organs. Company history Brothers Joseph-Claver (1855–1 ...

organ. On June 27, 1911, the church suffered another serious fire. The interior finishes, the roof and the dome disappeared in the flames, and the upper part of the exterior walls were also damaged. Again, a competition for the reconstruction of the church was held. It was ultimately entrusted to architect

Casimir Saint-Jean Casimir is classically an English, French and Latin form of the Polish name Kazimierz. Feminine forms are Casimira and Kazimiera. It means "proclaimer (from ''kazać'' to preach) of peace (''mir'')." List of variations *Belarusian: Казі� ...

. The church thus took its present form in 1912. The pediment is decorated with a carved motif and is surmounted by five statues representing

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...

and the four evangelists. Two other statues of St. Pierre and

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

are installed in the side niches. While the facade remains austere, the interior is stunning with its sumptuous

Baroque revival The Baroque Revival, also known as Neo-Baroque (or Second Empire architecture in France and Wilhelminism in Germany), was an architectural style of the late 19th century. The term is used to describe architecture and architectural sculptu ...

architecture. The original chandeliers, the richly ornamented pulpit, the beauty of the cabinet benches, confessionals, balustrades, the rich architectural ornamentation in cast plaster, all contribute to the splendor of this church. Stained glass by

Guido Nincheri Guido Nincheri (1885 – 1 March 1973) was a Canadian painter and designer working mainly in stained glass and fresco. Biography Guido Nincheri was born in Prato, Italy in 1885. He studied art in Florence and immigrated to Montreal in November 19 ...

was installed in 1932. Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church was renovated in 1987 and was cited by the City of Montreal in 1989. Concerts are still given regularly.

Organs

The Church of St. Jean-Baptiste de Montreal is one of the few churches in Canada equipped with two organs. It can, therefore, promote the presentation of works that require an imposing organ accompaniment. Restored in 1995 and 1996, the great organ of the gallery, Opus 615 of

, is one of the most prestigious instruments in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. The church also has a third organ, more modest, based in Saint-Louis Chapel, adjacent to the large church.

References

External links

Fiche de Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal de la Fondation du patrimoine religieux du Québec

Site web officiel de l'église

Fiche de Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal

Les orgues de Saint-Jean-Baptiste
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Jean Baptiste Church, Montreal Je Jean-Baptiste (Montreal) Jean-Baptiste (Montreal) Le Plateau-Mont-Royal