Saint-Joachim de Pointe-Claire Church

Coordinates: 45°25′37″N 73°49′31″W / 45.426946°N 73.825258°W / 45.426946; -73.825258

Saint-Joachim de Pointe-Claire Church

Saint-Joachim de Pointe-Claire Church (French: Église Saint-Joachim de Pointe-Claire) or simply Saint-Joachim Church is a Roman Catholic church in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada on Montreal's West Island. Its address is 2 Ste-Anne Street, and it borders Lake Saint-Louis.

History

Saint-Joachim de Pointe-Claire Church and its presbytery

The first church in Pointe-Claire was built in 1713. It was a stone church, but became obsolete, and was replaced in 1746.

In 1848, about one hundred years later, another new church was proposed. It was built according to plans made by the architect Victor Bourgeau in 1858. Numerous delays pushed the start of construction to 1868. The interior of this church was completed around the beginning of 1881. Later that same year, April 17, 1881, a fire destroyed the old church. The fire then spread to the new church, which was also destroyed.

The construction of a replica was undertaken that year, with the same team. Construction ended in 1885.

The 1858 design came several years the construction of the Saint-Pierre-Apôtre de Montréal Church, which had made known architect Victor Bourgeau. The Saint-Joachim project was finished, at the same time he completed the interior of the Notre-Dame Basilica.

The building is made of gray stone in the Gothic Revival style, which is characterized by vertical lines. It showcases a perfectly symmetrical order. Also, the bell tower is an important step in the style of Victor Bourgeau because it had a lighter volume than his previous work.

All of the windows, the niche and the portal are bullet-shaped. Frames and ornaments are hammered stone. In the central niche throne St. Joachim, a sculpture was installed in 1935.

The interior, which has withstood the onset of modernism, is a work of François Archambault, which is very representative of his time. The decor includes carved patterns of cusps, quatrefoils, beads, trefoil, pinnacles, columns, and pendants that animate the interior. It was restored in 1963–1964 and again in 1987.

Further reading

External links

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