Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church was a

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

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 ...

located at 410, rue Saint-Jean.

History

The original church structure was completed in 1847 but was destroyed in the disastrous fire of 1881 which leveled a significant portion of the city. The current church was built in 1884 out of seven types of Italian marble. Designed by architect Joseph-Ferdinand Peachy in the

Second Empire style Second Empire style, also known as the Napoleon III style, is a highly eclectic style of architecture and decorative arts, which uses elements of many different historical styles, and also made innovative use of modern materials, such as i ...

, the church was inspired by the facade of the Église de la Sainte-Trinité in Paris. It features a 240 ft spire, 36 stained-glass windows, and dozens of statues and paintings among other ornate decorations. The Gagnon brothers were both organists at the church;

Ernest Gagnon Ernest Gagnon (7 November 1834 – 15 September 1915) was a Canadian folklorist, composer, and organist. He is best known for compiling a large amount of French Canadian folk music which he published as ''Chansons populaires du Canada'' in 186 ...

from 1853 to 1864 and

Gustave Gagnon Gustave Adolphe Mathurin Gagnon (6 November 1842 – 19 November 1930) was a Canadian organist, composer, and music educator. Family background and education Born in Louiseville, Gagnon was from a prominent family of musicians in Québe ...

from 1864 to 1876. The Archdiocese of Quebec closed this church on Pentecost of 2015.

Interior

File:Nave of Saint Jean Baptiste Church, Quebec City.JPG, Nave File:Sanctuary of Saint Jean Baptiste Church, Quebec City.JPG, Sanctuary and pulpit File:Altar of Saint Jean Baptiste Church, Quebec City.JPG, Altar

References

External links

Parish site
Roman Catholic churches in Quebec City Burned buildings and structures in Canada Rebuilt churches in Canada Second Empire architecture in Canada Heritage buildings of Quebec Roman Catholic churches completed in 1884 19th-century churches in Canada {{Canada-RC-church-stub