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Ste-Anne Catholic Church (Ottawa) facts for kids

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Ste-Anne Catholic Church
Ste-Anne's Church Ottawa.jpg
Ste-Anne Catholic Church
Religion
Affiliation Catholic
Patron Saint Anne
Location
Location 528 Old St. Patrick Street in the Lowertown neighbourhood of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Administration St. Clement Parish
Architecture
Architect(s) J.P. LeCourt
Architectural type French Colonial Revival
Founder Bishop Joseph-Bruno Guigues
Completed 1873
Official name: Ste-Anne Roman Catholic Church
Designated: 1978

Ste-Anne Church is a special Catholic church in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Lowertown area at 528 Old St. Patrick Street. This beautiful church was built in 1873 by an architect named J.P. LeCourt.

Ste-Anne Church is unique because it shows a traditional style of church building from Quebec. It is one of the few churches like this in Ontario. Today, Ste-Anne is home to St. Clement Parish. This is a community that uses both English and French. They celebrate their church services, called the Mass, and other special ceremonies in Latin.

History of Ste-Anne Church

Building the Church

The idea for Ste-Anne Church came from Bishop Joseph-Bruno Guigues. In the 1870s, many French Catholic people lived in Ottawa. The main church, Notre-Dame Cathedral, was becoming too small for everyone.

So, Bishop Guigues decided a new church was needed. Pierre Rocque worked as the builder, helping architect LeCourt. Bishop Guigues placed the first stone of the church on May 4, 1873. This was an important step in starting the building.

Recent Challenges and Reopening

In April 2009, a part of the church's roof fell in. This caused a lot of damage. It took 18 months to fix the roof and restore the church. The repairs cost more than $1 million.

After reopening, the church faced new challenges. It closed again because fewer people were attending services. Also, there were money problems. The Archbishop of Ottawa, Terrence Prendergast, offered the building to St. Clement Parish. They agreed to move in and started holding their Masses at Ste-Anne's on June 3, 2012.

Ste-Anne's Special Status

Ste-Anne Catholic Church is a very important building. It is recognized as a heritage property in Ottawa. This means it is protected because of its history and special design. The Ontario Heritage Act helps protect places like Ste-Anne.

The City of Ottawa has placed a special sign, called a plaque, at the church. This plaque tells visitors about the church's history. It mentions that the church was designed by J.P. Lecourt. It also notes its unique Quebec style. The plaque states that Ste-Anne was named a heritage property in 1978.

1873

Eglise Sainte-Anne

This traditional Québec style church was designed by the architect J.P. Lecourt. The steeply-pitched roof and façade sculptures are common to churches of this type. It originally served the lowertown parish which extended to Notre Dame Cemetery.

Designated Heritage property 1978.

Church Architecture

The outside of Ste-Anne Church is made of plain stone. It has a beautiful round window, called a rose window, which looks like something from medieval times. The church's doors and windows have rounded arches. There are also three special spots for statues, each with a rounded arch.

At the very top of the church is a detailed bell tower. This tower has three levels and stands out against the simple stone walls. It adds a lot of beauty to the building.

See also

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