Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church

Notre-Dame-des-Victoires
Map
46°48′46″N 71°12′10″W / 46.8128°N 71.2027°W / 46.8128; -71.2027
Location32, rue Sous-le-Fort
Quebec City, Quebec
G1K 4G7
CountryCanada
DenominationRoman Catholic
Websitewww.notre-dame-de-quebec.org/notre-dame-des-victoires-church
History
StatusActive
Founded1687 -1723
Consecrated1723
Architecture
StyleColonial French
Administration
ProvinceCanada
Official nameNotre-Dame-des-Victoires Church National Historic Site of Canada
Designated1988
TypeClassified heritage immovable
Designated1929

Notre-Dame-des-Victoires is a small Roman Catholic stone church on Place Royale in the lower town of Old Quebec City. Construction was started in 1687 on the site of Champlain's habitation and was completed in 1723. The church is one of the oldest in North America.

History

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Notre-Dame-des-Victoires was built atop the ruins of Champlain's first outpost.[1] Architect Hilaire Bernard de La Rivière was the builder. Originally dedicated to l'Enfant Jésus, it received the name Notre-Dame-de-la-Victoire following the Battle of Quebec of 1690, in which an English expedition commanded by William Phips was forced to retreat. In 1711, its name was changed again, to Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, after bad weather had sunk a British fleet commanded by Hovenden Walker.[2]

The church was largely destroyed by the British bombardment that preceded the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in September 1759. A complete restoration of the church was finished in 1816. Architect François Baillairgé led the restoration work.[3]

The church, which was listed as a historic monument in 1929, remains a popular tourist attraction within the city, as well as a place of worship. It has undergone extensive restoration in recent decades, to restore its colonial French character. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1988 and plaqued in 1992.[4]

In 2002, the church served as a filming location for Catch Me If You Can.

Interior

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A model of the Brézé, the ship commanded by the marquis of Tracy, can be seen inside the church.[1]

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Église Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, Québec City Tourism
  2. ^ "Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church", Du Patrimoine et du Tourisme Religieux de Québec
  3. ^ "Église Notre-Dame-des-Victoires à Québec". Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  4. ^ Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church.. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2011-09-10.