Église St-Jean-Baptiste

Québec City

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This colossus, named after the patron saint of French Canada, completely dominates the southwest end of Rue St-Jean. The first church was built in 1842 but was destroyed by fire in 1881. It was completely rebuilt in the Second Empire style by architect Joseph-Ferdinand Peachy and open again for business by 1884. Due to lack of funding, it closed its doors for an indeterminate length of time in May 2015.

The architect looked to several well-known churches in Paris for inspiration: Notre-Dame-de-Paris for the pillars, Église St-Sulpice for the vaults and Église de la Trinité for the facade.

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