ÉGLISE SAINT-JEAN-BAPTISTE
St. John the Baptist Church

Following the fire of 1881 that destroyed Saint-Jean Church (constructed in 1847) and almost the entire Saint-Jean-Baptiste suburb, Joseph-Ferdinand Peachy was asked to construct a new church. He created a brilliant masterpiece that was blessed on July 27, 1884. The architect first copied the plan of a 12th century building.

He enclosed the three side aisles under the same roof and designed a boarded archway that had the same curvature of the archway found in Saint-Sulpice de Paris Church. For the façade, he decided to reproduce, without any noticeable changes, that of the Église de la Trinité de Paris, which he had visited in 1879. This façade is adorned with 17 statues signed by Michele Rigali. These statues were restored in 2003 by the Centre de Conservation du Québec. A 240-foot arrow is found at the top of the steeple and towers above the côteau Sainte-Genviève and the St-Jean suburb. 

The furniture, created between 1922 and 1926 by the Daprato d’Italie studios, was made out of 7 different colours of marble and includes several different pieces. The main altar, the mosaic of which represents the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, is a reproduction of the painting by Sacchi and the altars of the lower sanctuary are dedicated to the Sacred Heart and to Sainte-Anne. The communion table and the pulpit were inaugurated on August 7, 1927. A huge Louis XV style baldaquin, the work of sculptor F.-P. Gauvin, crowns the main altar and is supported by angel caryatids. These angels were made by Louis Jobin, a renowned woodcarver, who also decorated the church with a statue of St. Cecile.  The magnificent Way of the Cross is the work of the roman painter Crémonini and the four medallions are paintings by Antoine Plamondon that were saved from the 1881 fire. In 1928, three large paintings, painted by the Good Shepherd Nuns, were placed in the sanctuary. These paintings are of the Crowning of Mary, the Ascension and the Assumption. The 36 stained-glass windows, each composed of about thirty different elements, were designed and created by the Bernard-Léonard House of Québec.

In 1885, Napoléon Déry, a famous organ builder of the area, installed an organ with a double manual keyboard and 26 stops.  In 1921, the Casavant brothers reconstructed this organ, giving it 76 stops spread over four manual keyboards and one pedal keyboard. Mr. Cavalier restored it in 1976, and in 1979 it became the first instrument to be classified by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. The St. John the Baptist Church, due to its grandiose architecture and the dynamism that it gives to the surrounding neighbourhood, was recognized by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs as an historical monument on May 16, 1991.

Points of Interest : The Way of the Cross by Crémonini The 36 stained-glass windows The marble furniture The Louis XV style baldaquin by Gauvin and the angels sculpted by Louis Jobin

Church Hours

June 24 to September 4

Monday to Saturday: Noon - 5:00pm
Sunday: 11:00am - 4:00pm

Open for visit, guided tours are offered during the summer.

Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste
400, rue Saint-Jean
Québec (Québec) G1R 1P4

Telephone : (418) 525-7188
Fax: (418) 525-7182
Email : secretariat@saintjeanbaptiste.org