Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec

Quebec City, Canada

The Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec is the oldest church in the Americas north of the Spanish colonies in Florida and New Mexico. It is a National Historic Site of Canada, and located within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Historic District of Old Québec.

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 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, this time by the Canadian fraction of the Ku Klux Klan, and restored by architects Maxime Roisin and Raoul Chenevert.Raoul Chenevert added a presbytery beside the Cathedral in 1931-32.

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Address

Rue De Buade 16, Quebec City, Canada
See all sites in Quebec City

Details

Founded: 1647
Category: Religious sites in Canada

More Information

www.quebecregion.com
en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Historic District of Old Québec (0,2 km)
Château Frontenac (0,2 km)
Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church (0,3 km)
Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (0,1 km)
Quebec City Hall (0,1 km)
Fortifications of Québec (0,6 km)
Ursuline Monastery (0,2 km)
Citadelle of Quebec (0,7 km)
Cartier-Brébeuf National Historic Site (2,9 km)

User Reviews

Arundeep Mittra (18 months ago)
Not as grand as the one in montreal. However this has its own beauty. We were welcomed to a beautiful live choir performance and spent 30 minutes there. They are open from 830am to 4pm.....Arena they close on the dot....don't be late
Baltazar Lopez Jimenez (18 months ago)
Beautiful Catholic Cathedral. The architecture and at are just splendid. Totally worth a visit. Besides, there's a chapel to pay before the Blessed Sacrament.
Paul Collins (18 months ago)
The Cathedral is beautiful on the inside and has a long history going back many years. Whether you visit for a service or just to view the architecture it is well worth the trip.
Frank VANDERZALM (18 months ago)
This cathedral is steeped with history. It is a wonderful example of mid-19th century architecture. From a religious point of view, this house of God is a spiritually uplifting church to attend. My wife and I went to Saturday's Mass. It was a great experience as a Catholic to be here with so many travellers.
Seena (18 months ago)
Beautiful cathedral! About 370 years old. It was kept in a perfect condition in and out.
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