Christ Church Cathedral (Montreal) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Christ Church Cathedral |
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Christ Church Cathedral, with the Tour KPMG office tower in the background
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| Location | 635 Saint Catherine Street west Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| History | |
| Status | active |
| Founded | 1789 |
| Dedication | Jesus Christ |
| Consecrated | 1867 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) |
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| Architectural type | Neo-Gothic |
| Groundbreaking | 1857 |
| Completed | 1860 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 62 metres (203 ft) |
| Width | 33 metres (108 ft) |
| Nave width | 34 metres (112 ft) |
| Height | 70 metres (230 ft) |
| Number of spires | 1 |
| Spire height | 38 metres (125 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Montreal |
| Province | Canada |
Christ Church Cathedral is a beautiful Anglican church in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It's the main church for the Anglican faith in Montreal. You can find it at 635 Saint Catherine Street West. It even sits on top of an underground shopping mall called Promenades Cathédrale! This church is special. It's considered a historical building by the government of Quebec since 1988. In 1999, it became a National Historic Site of Canada, meaning it's super important to Canadian history.
Contents
History of the Cathedral
Anglican church services started in Montreal way back in 1760. For about 50 years, they used chapels belonging to the Roman Catholic Church. In 1789, the Anglican group in Montreal received an old Jesuit church. They renamed it Christ Church. This building was used until 1803, when it was sadly destroyed in a fire.
A second church building was finished in 1814. In 1850, this second Christ Church became the main church, or "cathedral," for the new Anglican Diocese of Montreal. But bad luck struck again! This cathedral was also destroyed by fire in 1856.
The church you see today is a neo-Gothic building. It was designed by an architect named Frank Wills. He also designed another Christ Church Cathedral in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Sadly, Wills died before construction began. So, another architect from Montreal, Thomas Seaton Scott, took over and finished the design. The church was completed in 1859 and officially opened in 1867.
Later, from 1890 to 1891, Andrew Taylor helped with changes and repairs to the cathedral. He also added a special memorial window in 1902–03. The cathedral's design looks like the Gothic churches from the 14th century in the English countryside. It has a square tower where the main parts of the church cross.
The Leaning Tower Problem
Even though the church's design was praised, it had a big problem. The ground was too soft to hold up the heavy stone tower and steeple in the middle. The tower started to sink and lean! This led to a big legal case about who was responsible. The case even went to the highest court in the British Empire at the time. The court decided that the builder was responsible because they built the steeple on ground that couldn't support its weight.
By 1920, the tower was leaning about 1.2 m (3.9 ft) to the south. To fix this, the heavy stone steeple, which weighed about 1,600,000 kg (3,500,000 lb), was removed in 1927. New foundations were built in 1939. Then, in 1940, a generous person who wished to remain anonymous paid for a new, much lighter steeple. This new steeple is made of aluminum but looks just like the old stone one. It is 38 m (125 ft) tall, making the total height of the church 70 m (230 ft) from the ground.
Music and Organs
Recent additions to the church include a choir area, built in 1980. The church's third organ was installed in 1981. Many famous musicians have played the organ here, including Alfred Whitehead and Patrick Wedd.
The current organ was built by Karl Wilhelm, Inc. It's a large instrument with four keyboards and many different sounds. In 1992, more parts were added to the organ's pedal section. This organ replaced an older one that had been used since 1859. That older organ was built to be like an even earlier one that was given to the church by King George III but was destroyed in the 1856 fire. The older organ was changed and made bigger several times before the new one was built in 1981.
Promenades Cathédrale
In the 1980s, a huge building project happened right under the cathedral. This project included a 34-floor skyscraper, Tour KPMG, built north of the church. It also added underground parking and two levels of retail stores right beneath the cathedral! For a while in 1987, the cathedral had to be supported on tall stilts. This allowed workers to dig out the ground for the underground mall, called Promenades Cathédrale. This big project also helped connect the eastern and western parts of Montreal's underground city.
Canadian Grenadier Guards
Christ Church Cathedral is the special church for the Canadian Grenadier Guards, a military regiment. The guards keep their old traditions with the church and McGill University. Every year on Remembrance Day, they march from the university campus to the cathedral. The church also keeps the guards' old regimental flags that are no longer used.
L'Oasis musicale
Every Saturday at 2 PM, all year round, the cathedral hosts free weekly concerts called "L'Oasis musicale" (The Musical Oasis). These concerts help and support young musicians who are just starting their careers. Many of them are studying music in Montreal. The concerts are open to everyone! You can hear all kinds of musicians, from solo singers and instrumentalists to small orchestras and choirs. Most of the music is classical, but sometimes you might hear popular, folk, religious, or traditional music too.
See also
- List of cathedrals in Canada
- Dean of Montreal
Images for kids
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The interior of the original Christ Church Cathedral in 1852
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The interior of the present Christ Church Cathedral
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Christ Church Cathedral at night
