Church of the Gesù (Montreal) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Church of the Gesù
Église du Gesù
Front entrance
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Location	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Denomination	Roman Catholic Church
History
Founder(s)	Society of Jesus
Dedication	Sacred Heart
Architecture
Architect(s)	Patrick Keely
Style	Baroque Revival architecture
Groundbreaking	1864
Completed	July 10, 1865
Administration
Archdiocese	Archdiocese of Montreal

The Church of the Gesù (which means Jesus in French) is a Catholic church in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located on Bleury Street in the area called Ville-Marie. A church is a place where people gather for religious services. The basement of this church is also a popular place for music concerts and other events.

History of the Church
Church Design and Style
Gallery
See also

History of the Church

How the Church Began

Ignace Bourget was an important leader of the Catholic Church in Montreal. He wanted the churches in his area to look like famous churches in Rome, Italy. For example, the Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral in Montreal was designed to look like St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City.

In a similar way, the Church of the Gesù was designed to look like the original Church of the Gesù in Rome. Building of the church started in 1864. It officially opened its doors on July 10, 1865.

Special Moments and Changes

The Church of the Gesù was home to a special event in 1878. It was the first place in Canada where an "electric candle" was lit. This was a very early form of electric light.

Next to the church, there was a school called Collège Sainte-Marie de Montréal. It was run by a religious group called the Jesuits. The school building was taken down in 1975. However, the Church of the Gesù was saved and made new again in 1983.

Inside the church, there is a statue of Notre-Dame-de-Liesse. This statue was brought from France in 1877. It holds the ashes of an older, original statue that was destroyed during the French Revolution.

The Basement Auditorium

The basement of the Gesù church was turned into a large room for performances. It is one of the oldest cultural places in Montreal. Many local and international performers have been on its stage. This includes groups like the Compagnons de Saint-Laurent and the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde.

Church Design and Style

Interior of the Church of the Gesù.

Who Designed It?

An experienced architect named Patrick Keely created the plans for the Church of the Gesù. He was from Ireland and the United States. His design was greatly inspired by the Church of the Gesù in Rome. The Roman church is a grand Baroque style building. Ignatius of Loyola, who started the Society of Jesus, is buried there. The Montreal church kept the Italian name of Jesus, just like its Roman model.

Unique Features

The Gesù in Montreal is not an exact copy of the one in Rome. However, it is still a very large church. It covers about 4,400 square meters (47,361 square feet). The ceiling, called a vault, is 22.9 meters (75 feet) high above the ground. This church is the only one in Montreal that is completely built in the Baroque style.

The original plan was for the church to have two bell towers on each side of the entrance. The bottom parts of these towers were built. But the towers were never finished because there wasn't enough money. A lot of the money collected for the church was used instead to help build the Collège Sainte-Marie school.

Inside the Church

The church's ceiling has five arches. These arches are decorated with beautiful frescoes. Frescoes are paintings done on wet plaster. An American artist named Daniel Muller painted them. His work copied the style of paintings from the German school of Düsseldorf. These paintings show different parts of the life of Jesus.