ÉGLISE SAINT-ROCH
Saint-Roch Church

The Saint-Roch Church, inspired by the architecture of the Middle Ages, combines two architectural styles. The façade follows the neo-Gothic tradition and the inside of the church follows the neo-Roman tradition.  It is a perfect example of the revival that began to emerge with respect to religious architecture throughout the province of Québec at the beginning of the 20th century.  The church, constructed between 1914 and 1923, was erected on the site of the three previous churches.  The architects were Talbot and Dionne, the same men who designed the Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré Basilica.

Since these two architects passed away during the construction of the church, Louis-Napoléon Audet, an architect who worked on the interior décor of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, was called on to complete it.

This place of worship is the largest church in Québec City, measuring 265 feet long, 111 feet wide and 150 feet high (including the steeples). The exterior walls are made of black granite from Rivière-à-Pierre.  The interior is made of marble from Saskatchewan that contains visible traces of fossils.

The white oak furnishings, created by Louis-Napoléon Audet, were manufactured by the Villeneuve Studio in Saint-Romuald. The altarpiece and baptismal fonts are the works of sculptor Lauréat Vallière. Elzéar Filion was responsible for the sculpture of the sanctuary created in 1934.  The main altar and the communion table come from the Daprato Studio in Chicago and are made of pink marble.



Four large paintings have been integrated into the décor.  The oldest works originate from France and were brought to Québec City by Father Desjardins, former chaplain at the Hôtel-Dieu.  These paintings previously decorated the churches of Paris in the 18th century.  They include La vision de Saint Roch, by Jacques Blanchard (1600-1638) and La Sainte Famille pendant le séjour en Egypte, by Collin de Vermont (1693-1791).  The other two paintings, the Repos de la Sainte-Famille and the Christ en Croix, were painted by Antoine Plamondon around 1830.

The stained-glass windows were installed by the Hobbs Company between 1929 and 1930.  The windows found at the entrance of the church tell the story of the life of Saint-Roch, while those of the central nave are diptych.

The upper part of each window represents a scene from the Old Testament whereas the lower part of each represents the same scene but from the New Testament.  These stained-glass windows were therefore aimed to teach the Bible through visual images to parishioners who didn’t know how to read or write.  The Casavant organ of this church is the largest in Québec City and in the eastern region of the province.   

The Festival de musique sacrée de Québec (Festival of Sacred Music), founded in 1997, presents a program including a variety of sacred music.  The festival, which takes place every year in October, includes a repertoire of classical, gospel, ecumenical and multicultural music.   For more information, visit the festival’s website: www.festivalmusiquesacree.ca.


Photo: Louise Leblanc

Points of Interest :

• The main altar, the sanctuary and the communion table
• The retable of the baptismal fonts

Church Hours
Every day, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Bilingual audio guide avalaible (French and English)
Rental fee: 5 $
The audio guide reveals the secrets of the church by giving informations about its history, its architecture and its pieces of art.
 

Église Saint-Roch 590, rue Saint-Joseph Est Québec (Québec) G1K 3B8 Telephone : (418) 524-3577 Fax : (418) 529-8335

Email: paroisse@saint-roch.qc.ca
Website : www.saint-roch.qc.ca