Page 268 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Canada

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BASILIQUE-

CATHÉDRALE NOTRE-

EXPERIENCE Quebec City DAME DE QUÉBEC

 E2 ⌂ 16 rue de Buade @ 11 # Daily ∑ notre-dame-de-quebec.org
This magnificent cathedral is the principal seat of the Roman Catholic archbishop of
Quebec, whose diocese once stretched from here to Mexico. Despite restorations after
fire- and battle-damage over the centuries, it retains a remarkable unity of style.
The first church built on this site dates back to 1647, and parts
of the original structure, including portions of the walls and
the bell tower, are still intact. Most of today’s exterior is from
reno vations completed in 1771. The Neo-Baroque interior was
also reconstructed after a devastating fire in 1922. Some
modern materials have been used, but sensitively, to re-create
the light feel; glowing stained-glass windows, richly gilded
decoration, and the graceful baldachin over the main altar add
to the effect. Ecclesiastical treasures and paintings from the
time of the French regime can be seen, including a chancel
lamp given by Louis XIV.
As part of the cathedral’s 350th anni versary celebration, a
holy door was constructed, one of just two outside Europe,
and only the eighth in the world. It is sealed until 2025.
The cathedral’s large crypt was Quebec City’s first cemetery,
with more than 900 bodies interred underneath the altar,
including 20 bishops and four governors of New France. Rumor
has it that the father of New France, Samuel de Champlain,
may be buried somewhere near the cathedral. Archaeologists
have been searching for his tomb since the 1850s.

The soaring ceiling and gilded altar inside
the cathedral
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