, image = Église St James Mtl.jpg , imagesize = , imagealt = , caption = St. James United Church on

Saint Catherine Street Sainte-Catherine Street (french: rue Sainte-Catherine) () is the primary commercial artery of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It crosses the central business district from west to east, beginning at the corner of Claremont Avenue and de M ...

Downtown Montreal Downtown Montreal ( French: ''Centre-Ville de Montréal'') is the central business district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The district is situated on the southernmost slope of Mount Royal, and occupies the western portion of the borough of Vil ...

. , pushpin map = Montreal , pushpin label position = , pushpin map alt = , latm = , latNS = , latd = , longm = , longEW = , longd = , lats = , longs = , pushpin mapsize = , map caption = , coordinates = , osgridref = , location = 1435, rue City Councillors

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 ...

H3A 2E4 , previous denomination =

Methodist Church of Canada The Methodist Church was the major Methodist denomination in Canada from its founding in 1884 until it merged with two other denominations to form the United Church of Canada in 1925. The Methodist Church was itself formed from the merger of four ...

, churchmanship = , membership = , attendance = , website
www.stjamesmontreal.ca/
, former name = , bull date = , founded date = 1803 , founder = , dedication = , dedicated date = , consecrated date = , cult = , relics = , events = , past bishop = , people = , status = active , functional status = , heritage designation = , designated date = , architect =

Alexander Francis Dunlop Alexander Francis Dunlop (August 4, 1842 – April 30, 1923), was a Canadian architect from Montreal, Quebec. Biography Dunlop worked as an apprentice to Montreal architects George Browne and John James Browne. From 1871 to 1874 he lived an ...

, architectural type =

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

, style = , groundbreaking = 1887 , completed date = 1889 , construction cost = , closed date = , demolished date = , capacity = 2,000 , length = , width = , width nave = , height = , diameter = , other dimensions = , floor count = , floor area = , dome quantity = , dome height outer = , dome height inner = , dome dia outer = , dome dia inner = , spire quantity = 2 , spire height = , materials = , parish = , deanery = , archdeaconry = , episcopalarea = , archdiocese = , diocese = , province = , presbytery = Quebec Presbytery , synod = Montreal and Ottawa Conference , circuit = , district = , division = , subdivision = , archbishop = , bishop = , abbot = , vicar = , provost-rector = , provost = , viceprovost = , rector = , dean = , subdean = , precentor = , canon = , canonpastor = , prebendary = , priestincharge = , priest = , asstpriest = , honpriest = , curate = , minister = , seniorpastor = Rev. Arlen John Bonnar , pastor = , archdeacon = , deacon = , reader = , organistdom = Dr

Alexandra Fol Alexandra Fol (born July 11, 1981) in Sofia, Bulgaria is a Bulgarian-Canadian composer who resides in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Fol has composed more than 40 works in different mediums, which have been performed by ensembles such as Sofia Philhar ...

, director = , organist = , organscholar = , chapterclerk = , laychapter = , warden = , businessmgr = , liturgycoord = , reledu = , rcia = , youthmin = , flowerguild = , musicgroup = , parishadmin = , serversguild = , logo = , logosize = , logolink = , logoalt = , imagelink = , landscape = , deaconness = Saint James United Church (french: Église Unie Saint-James) is a heritage

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 * Chris ...

in the city's

downtown core The Downtown Core is the historical and downtown centre of the city-state of Singapore and the main commercial area in Singapore excluding reclaimed lands with many integrated resorts such as the Marina Bay Sands, one of the most expensive build ...

, Canada. It is a

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

church affiliated with the

United Church of Canada The United Church of Canada (french: link=no, Église unie du Canada) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholi ...

. It is located at 463

West between Saint Alexandre and City Councillors Streets (

McGill McGill is a surname of Scottish and Irish origin, from which the names of many places and organizations are derived. It may refer to: People * McGill (surname) (including a list of individuals with the surname) * McGill family (Monrovia), a promin ...

metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...

station), in the borough of Ville-Marie within

. It was designated as a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of t ...

in 1996. The

church was designed by Montreal architect

. It is noteworthy for its false

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...

housing church offices and for its

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 (1855–1933 ...

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

History

When it was built in June 1889, it was the largest

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

church in

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 ...

, with 2,000 seats; it was nicknamed the "Cathedral Church of Methodism." It now belongs to the

, into which the Canadian Methodists merged in 1925. Its congregation founded the first

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

in North America on November 25, 1851 (before the present church building was built) and led an active campaign for

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

early in the 20th century. A

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

memorial window (1924) by

Charles William Kelsey Charles William Kelsey (1877–1975) was a Canadian artist best known for his stained glass work. He was born in 1877 in England. He trained in England. He emigrated to Montreal, Quebec in 1922. He designed and painted stained glass windows with t ...

depicting a trench scene at St. James United Church (Montreal) was dedicated to 32 members who were killed overseas and 267 others who served in the Great War. The side lights represent the cardinal virtues,

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

Prudence Prudence ( la, prudentia, Contraction (grammar), contracted from meaning "seeing ahead, sagacity") is the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason. It is classically considered to be a virtue, and in particular one of th ...

Temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

and Fortitude. In 1927, to cover upkeep costs, the church permitted a commercial building to be built in front of its

Sainte Catherine Street Sainte-Catherine Street (french: rue Sainte-Catherine) () is the primary commercial artery of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It crosses the central business district from west to east, beginning at the corner of Claremont Avenue and de ...

façade. The building, adjoining the church's structure, concealed the church for over 78 years, the church itself being announced by a large

neon sign In the signage industry, neon signs are electric signs lighted by long luminous gas-discharge tubes that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in Decem ...

. In 2005, as part of an $8-million restoration effort sponsored by the city of Montreal and the Quebec government, a portion of the commercial buildings were demolished, once again revealing the facade of the church as well as a new

public square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true square, geometric square, used for community gathe ...

Claude Cormier Claude Cormier (born June 22, 1960) is a landscape architect from Quebec. The majority of his projects are located in Montreal and Toronto. See also * ''18 Shades of Gay'', Montreal References

1960 births Living people Urban desig ...

.. Access has also been restored to the rear lawn from Sainte Catherine Street.

Gallery

File:St James Methodist Church Montreal 1892.jpg, The church interior in 1892. File:Saint James, Montréal 2.JPG, Church interior. File:Montreal Saint James church exterior (perspective) enhanced.jpg, The church exterior in December, 2016. Iglesia Unida de Santiago, Montreal, Canadá, 2017-08-11, DD 44.jpg, Frontal view.

References

External links

Saint James United Church official siteSaint James, la résurrection
('' La Presse'', August 20, 2005) {{Authority control James United Church James United Church (Montreal) James United Church (Montreal) National Historic Sites in Quebec Downtown Montreal James United Church (Montreal) James United Church (Montreal) Heritage buildings of Quebec