Saint Brigid's Church (Ottawa) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Saint Brigid's Church |
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| Saint Brigid's Centre for the Arts | |
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Saint Brigid's Centre for the Arts, formerly St Brigid's Church
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| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Status | deconsecrated, used as arts centre |
| Dedication | Saint Brigid |
St Brigid's was once a Roman Catholic church found in the Lower Town area of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was built for the English-speaking Catholic people living there. The church closed in 2006 and was sold in 2007. It then became the Saint Brigid's Centre for the Arts, a place that celebrates Irish-Canadian culture. In 2022, there was a disagreement about who could use the building, involving a group called The United People of Canada.
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A Church for the Community
Before St Brigid's was built, many Irish Catholic families in Ottawa went to Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica. By the late 1800s, the Irish community felt they needed their own church. They wanted a place where they could worship in English and have a stronger voice.
Building a New Church
Discussions to create a new English-speaking parish began in March 1888. A group of people from Notre-Dame Cathedral met with the Archbishop of Ottawa, Joseph-Thomas Duhamel. They agreed to start a new parish. A spot was chosen at the corner of St Patrick and Cumberland Streets.
The architect, James R. Bowes, designed a large and impressive building. It was built in the Romanesque Revival style, which was often called Norman style back then. The front of the church has three big, round-arched doorways. It also has two towers, one taller than the other. The taller tower has a special cap shaped like a bishop's mitre, which is a type of hat. This design showed the church's strong connection to the Catholic Church.
Work on St Brigid's started in 1889. The church was finished and officially blessed on August 3, 1890.
The Church Closes Its Doors
In May 2006, Archbishop Marcel Gervais announced that St Brigid's Church would close. The number of people attending church had become very small. Also, the building needed hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs. The people who went to the church strongly disagreed with this decision. They even tried to stop the closure in court, but they were not successful. One important rule of the sale was that the building could never be used as a Catholic church again.
A New Life for the Building
In 2007, St Brigid's Catholic Church was put up for sale. The building, which was no longer used as a church, was bought by four investors in the fall of 2007 for $450,000.
Saint Brigid's Centre for the Arts
The church was bought by a company owned by Patrick McDonald. He was born in Portarlington, Ireland, and moved to Canada in 1989. McDonald transformed the building into the Saint Brigid's Centre for the Arts. This centre became a place to celebrate Irish-Canadian heritage and a social spot. It hosts art shows, plays, and concerts. On January 6, 2016, a public house called The Brigid's Well opened in the church's basement. In 2010, the building was used to film parts of the 2011 movie Sacrifice. Patrick McDonald even played a role in the film as Father Patrick.
Disagreement Over Use
In 2022, McDonald agreed to sell the church to a group called The United People of Canada (TUPOC). TUPOC moved into the building in July 2022, calling it an "embassy." However, the agreement to buy the church later fell apart. McDonald said that TUPOC broke rules about protecting old buildings, bothered other people using the building, and did not pay the required deposit.
After owing $10,000 in rent and not showing proof of insurance, TUPOC was given an eviction notice on August 17, 2022. The locks were changed on August 18. On September 23, 2022, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice decided that TUPOC had broken the sale agreement by not making payments. The court allowed the eviction and ordered TUPOC to pay $53,000 to the owners. TUPOC tried to appeal this decision but lost the appeal in 2023.
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