Day 8 I Notre Dame Basilica of Quebec (History)

We woke up early in the morning to start our day off. Today we are going to the Notre Dame Basilica Cathedral in Old Quebec City. I am not Orthodox, but Canada is predominantly so. Orthodox is a form of Christianity, the pure gray space between Protestantism and Catholicism. Today was going to be sunny, but the forecast changed to overcast. Of course, it was cold from the snowfall during the winter festival, but we had at least some sunlight would remind us North Carolina and diminish the homesickness we were all feeling. We all grabbed coffee and headed towards towards the Notre Dame Basilica of Quebec. It was part of an organization of cathedrals all over Canada.We were very excited, but the overcast made everyone feel gloomy and not like themselves.

Located on this site since 1647, the cathedral has twice been destroyed by fire throughout the centuries.

A previous iteration of the church was destroyed during the Siege of Quebec in 1759. It was rebuilt from plans by Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Lery draughted in 1743. The bell tower, however, was designed by Jean Baillairge, who also oversaw construction of the belltower. The interior design was designed by Jean Baillairge and his son, Francois, from 1786–1822. The interior design was gold leaf and Neo-Baroque style art. Neo-Baroque is a revived art style which was predominantly used in France and Britain. In 1843, Francois' son, Thomas, suggested a reconstruction of the façade, or front,  to resemble the church of Sainte-Geneviève in Paris, resulting in the finest Neo-classic façade in Québec. The cathedral was elaborately decorated with impressive works of art: baldaquin (ceremonial canopy of stones and precious metals over a doorway or altar), canopy, episcopal throne dais, stained glass windows, paintings, canvas and chancel lamp (a gift of Louis XIV).

In 1922, the church was again gutted by fire, this time by the Canadian fraction of the Ku Klux Klan, and restored by architects Maxime Roisin and Raoul Chenevert^. Raoul Chenevert added a presbytery, part of a church reserved for clergy,  beside the Cathedral in 1931-1932.

The cathedral is representative of the hardships and reconstructions that Canada has had to through to reach the point where it is now. It is a national historic site because of its history and affiliations with New France, a french territory in the US, and its ecclesiastical influences on art and architecture in Canada.We learned so much history from the cathedral and its willing donors and associates. Having
taken and abundant amount of selfies and pictures, we went out for lunch at Cafe Buade, the epitome of good times and pizza in Canada. We also had Poutine because of its exquisite taste and overall look. Although the service could have been better organized, we appreciated their service and left the waitress tips.

Exhausted, we decided to go back to the cathedral for more information, especially for this blog! We stayed there for a long time. The staff told us stories about the cathedral's history and people who were associated in its infrastructural construction as well as its religious affiliations around Canada. We had planned to go to the Basilica Notre Dame of Montreal, but decided that the convenience of having one of its branches a few miles from us changed our decision. The Basilica of Montreal is no lesser of course. Mere pictures of its interior are definitely eye-candy for a historical and artsy person. Personally, I found it more impressive than the one we were at.

In 2014, the cathedral celebrated its 350th anniversary. As part of the celebrations, a holy door was constructed—the second outside Europe and only the eighth in the world. The holy door was opened on December 8, 2013 and remained open until December 28, 2014. It was again opened from December 8th, 2015 to November 20th, 2016 for the Year of Mercy, a time when the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and the Feast of Christ the King, after which it was sealed until 2025. The Year of Mercy is a Roman Catholic prayer from December 8th to November 20th. It is a reminder of god's mercy and providence. It is a time for forgiveness.

We went to lunch at La Creperie du Pain Beni. It is known for its tasty crepes and sandwiches. We also got a coke for each of us. The crepes were delicious. They were oozing with ketchup at onions and the smell of freshly baked bread and cheese. Brian was indulged in it's savory goodness while Corey and I just sipped coke.