| Notre-Dame de Québec | |
Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral
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Notre-Dame de Québec
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| Location | Quebec City |
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| Country | Canada |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Founded | 1647 |
| Dedication | Our Lady |
| Significant past bishop(s) | François de Laval |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Basilica Cathedral |
| Functional status | Functional |
| Designated | 1989 |
| Architect(s) | Jean Baillairgé |
| Architectural type | Neoclassical |
| Completed | 1843 |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Quebec |
| Official name: Notre-Dame Roman Catholic Cathedral National Historic Site of Canada | |
| Designated: | 1989 |
The Cathedral-minor basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec (Our Lady of Quebec City), located at 20, rue de Buade, Quebec City, Quebec, is the primate church of Canada and seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec, the oldest see in the New World north of Mexico.
It is also the parish church of the oldest parish in North America, and the first church in North America to be elevated to the rank of minor basilica by Pope Pius IX in 1874. It is a National Historic Site of Canada,[1] and located within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Historic District of Old Québec.[2]
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Located on this site since 1647, the Cathedral has twice been destroyed by fire throughout the centuries.
A previous iteration of the church was destroyed during the Siege of Quebec in 1759. It was rebuilt from plans by Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry draughted in 1743. The belltower, however, was designed by Jean Baillairgé, who also oversaw construction. The interior was designed by Jean Baillairgé and his son François from 1786–1822. In 1843, François' son, Thomas, suggested a reconstruction of the façade to resemble the church of Sainte-Geneviève in Paris, resulting in the finest Neo-classic façade in Québec. The cathedral was richly decorated with impressive works of art: baldaquin, canopy, episcopal throne dais, stained glass windows, paintings, and chancel lamp (a gift of Louis XIV).
In 1922 the church was again gutted by fire, only to be restored by architects Maxime Roisin and Raoul Chenevert.[3]
Raoul Chenevert (architect) added a presbytery beside the Cathedral, 1931-32 [4]
Four governors of New France and the bishops of Quebec are buried in the crypt, including François de Laval, Quebec's first bishop.
Notre-Dame Roman Catholic Cathedral was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1989 because:
of its long and close associations with the history of New France; its influence on subsequent ecclesiastical architecture and interior decoration in Québec.—Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, 1989 [5]
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