As the final liturgical action to be celebrated by the Pontiff in his Apostolic Journey to Canada, Pope Francis will lead Vespers at The Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec.
Newsroom (27/07/2022 3:30 PM Gaudium Press) A cathedral can be said to be to a diocese what a church is to a parish. It is the place where the bishop’s seat is located, which is called the cathedra. A cathedral can also be a basilica, but a basilica is not necessarily a cathedral.
The Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec
The Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec (“Our Lady of Quebec City”), located at 16 rue de Buade, Quebec City, Quebec, is the primatial church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec. It is the oldest church in Canada and was the first church in Canada to be elevated to the rank of a minor basilica by Pope Pius IX in 1874. Four governors of New France and the bishops of Quebec are buried in the crypt, including François de Laval, Quebec’s first bishop.
The Cathedral is located on the site of a chapel, Notre Dame de la Recouvrance, built by Samuel de Champlain in 1633. Construction of the first cathedral building began in 1647, and it was given the name Notre-Dame de la Paix.
As there were difficulties for downtown parishioners to attend mass uptown during winter and the same difficulties for priests to go downtown to help dying people during the cold season, Msgr François de Laval obtained from the King of France land to build a second church in the parish. Therefore, they began building Notre-Dame-des-Victoires church in Lower Québec in 1688 and enlarged it to its final size in 1723.
The Cathedral was twice destroyed by fire, the first time during the Siege of Quebec in 1759. It was rebuilt from plans by Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry, draughted in 1743. The bell tower, 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 a chancel lamp (a gift of Louis XIV). Its ornamentation and ex-votos (pieces of art as thanksgiving for favours or miracles) are reminders that the Virgin Mary often helped people from Québec. The church was designated as a Marian sanctuary in 1855.
In 1922 the church was again gutted by fire, this time by the Canadian faction 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
On the occasion of the 350th anniversary of Notre-Dame de Québec Parish in 2014, Rome authorized the parish to build a Holy Door in the basilica. This is the only Holy Door outside Europe. The holy door was opened on December 8, 2013, and remained open until December 28, 2014. It again opened from December 8, 2015, to November 20, 2016, for the Year of Mercy. It will be opened for the next time on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the foundation of the Diocese of Quebec, starting on December 8, 2023.
A Holy Door (Latin: Porta Sancta) is traditionally an entrance portal located within the Papal major basilicas in Rome. The doors are typically sealed by mortar and cement from the inside, so they cannot be opened. They are ceremoniously opened during Jubilee years designated by the Pope, for pilgrims who enter through those doors may piously gain the plenary indulgences attached with the Jubilee year celebrations.
The church is located in the same place as the two “Habitations” of Samuel de Champlain, founder of Québec City. Stones from the walls of the second “Habitation” are still inside the walls of the church. It is classified as a historic monument in Quebec and Canada and is part of the historic district of Old Quebec, which is on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
There is an old tradition of cooking little balls of bread in memory of St. Genevieve. A special Mass on January 3, the Saint’s feast day, is celebrated every year. During this Mass, the priest blesses these “little breads of St. Genevieve,” to be given to the people who will come during the year. These pieces of bread symbolize trust in God and sharing with the poor.
Compiled by Raju Hasmukh