Located in historic province of Quebec,
the Basilica is attached to an old Sulpician
Seminary. Arriving in 1657, the Sulpician
religious order ruled the seigneury of
the island and built their parish church
on the site in 1672. Calling it Notre-Dame
(Holy Name of Mary) they and their congregation
evolved until they had to make a new building
in the year 1824. To be done in the neo-gothic
style, the tower and major parts of the
church were complete by 1843, and it was
fully complete by 1879. When the structure
was finished it was the largest church
in North America.
Well known for its fantastic interior,
the church has a ceiling decorated in
deep blue with gold stars. The rest of
the sanctuary is a mix of blues, azures,
reds, purples, silver, and gold. The sanctuary
is decorated with hundreds of intricate
wooden carvings, and the stained glass
windows from the religious development
of the city, and the halls ring to the
sound of a Canadian built Casavant pipe
organ.
Disturbed
by fire in 1978, the church had to undergo
some major repairs. Almost all of the
first and second floors had to be recreated,
using only old photographs for reference.
Notre-Dame Church was raised to the status
of basilica by Pope John Paul II during
a visit to the city on April 21, 1982.
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