Notre-Dame-de-la-Visitation Church (Champlain, Quebec) facts for kids
Notre-Dame-de-la-Visitation (which means Our Lady of the Visitation) is a beautiful Catholic church. It is built in a style called neo-Romanesque, which looks like old Roman buildings. You can find it on Chemin du Roy in Champlain, a town in Mauricie, Quebec.
Contents
The Story of the Church
Building the Church
This church was built a long time ago, between 1878 and 1879. A talented architect and builder named Gédéon Leblanc (who lived from 1832 to 1905) was in charge of the project. The very first church service was held on October 9, 1879.
The church is quite large! It is about 42 meters (138 feet) long and 20.4 meters (67 feet) wide. The ceiling inside is 16 meters (52 feet) high, and its tall bell towers reach up to 53.6 meters (176 feet). The outside look of the church was inspired by another church nearby, Saint-Stanislas.
Inside the Church
The inside of the church was finished in 1881. The designs for the interior were made by a young architect named Jean-Baptiste Bourgeois (1856-1930), who was only 25 at the time.
After that, in 1882 and 1883, the entire inside was covered with amazing paintings. These paintings were done by François-Xavier-Édouard Meloche. He used a special technique called trompe-l’œil, which means "to trick the eye." It makes flat paintings look like they are three-dimensional or real objects. This was one of his first big projects.
Old Treasures
The community in Champlain started way back in 1664. Before this church, there were three other church buildings. Many of the old and important items from those earlier churches are now kept in the current Notre-Dame-de-la-Visitation church.
These treasures include some of the oldest paintings in Quebec, which are from before 1687. There is also the oldest wooden sanctuary lamp in Quebec, also from before 1687. You can also see the oldest sculpture and the oldest engraving, both from the late 1600s. The church also has works by famous painters like Claude François (1687), Noël-Nicolas Coypel (1714), William Berczy (1810), François Normand (1813), and Louis-Philippe Hébert (1882).
Open to Visitors
Since 1998, the church has been open for people to visit. A group called the ‘Committee for the conservation and restoration of the church of Champlain’ helps take care of it and make sure it stays beautiful for everyone to enjoy.
See also
