St. Paul's Basilica is the oldest

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 let ...

congregation in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada. It is located at 83 Power Street in the Corktown neighbourhood, just east of downtown, near the intersection of Queen and Parliament streets.

History

The parish was established in 1822 by

James Baby James Duperon Bâby (August 25, 1763 – February 19, 1833) was a judge and political figure in Upper Canada. Biography He was born Jacques Bâby, the son of Jacques Bâby dit Duperon, to a prosperous family in Detroit in 1763. His last nam ...

, when the

Town of York A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

was part of the Diocese of Kingston, and it was the only Roman Catholic parish between Kingston and

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. The original church building was completed on the current site in 1824. It was constructed of red brick in the Gothic Revival style. To serve the expanding

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

immigrant community, a school opened soon after the church. When the Diocese of Toronto was separated from the Diocese of Kingston in 1842, St. Paul's served as the

pro-cathedral A pro-cathedral or procathedral is a parish church that temporarily serves as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese, or a church that has the same function in a Catholic missionary jurisdiction (such as an apostolic prefecture or apostoli ...

until St. Michael's Cathedral was completed in 1848. The church is housed in a

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

structure that was designed by Joseph Connolly and opened in 1889. It is based on the design of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. The new building was necessary to house the growing congregation. Inside this church, located in the north transept, a stained-glass window depicts St. Paul holding a sword – with dedication to

William Joseph O'Connor William Joseph O'Connor (4 May 1862 –23 November 1892) was a professional oarsman who attempted to win the World Sculling Championship. He was also a tavern-keeper and long distance walker. He was born in Toronto, and grew up in the cities' Iris ...

, a professional oarsman who grew up in the neighbourhood where the church is located. The

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian ...

''campanile'' ( bell tower) was built in 1905 and contains the bell from the original church. Stpaulsbasilica interior toronto

The first Catholic cemetery in Toronto opened east of the church in 1822. The large increase in the Catholic population caused by Irish immigration quickly filled the cemetery to capacity, and it was replaced by St. Michael's Cemetery in 1857. The site of the old cemetery is now the parking lot and playground area for St. Paul's Catholic School. The church was designated a

minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

in 1999.

Plaque

In popular culture

In ''

Short Circuit 2 ''Short Circuit 2'' is a 1988 American science fiction comedy film, the sequel to the 1986 film ''Short Circuit''. It was directed by Kenneth Johnson and starred Fisher Stevens as Ben Jahveri, Michael McKean as Fred Ritter, Cynthia Gibb as Sandy ...

'', Johnny Five went into a church, which is renamed as St Katherine's Church.

References

External links

Official websiteSt. Paul's Basilica ParishCorktown history
Roman Catholic churches in Toronto Roman Catholic churches in Ontario

Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto Renaissance Revival architecture in Canada 1822 establishments in Canada {{Canada-church-stub

History

Plaque

In popular culture

See also

References

Further reading

External links