St. Paul's Basilica

Last updated
St. Paul's Basilica
St. Paul's Basilica.jpg
St. Paul's Basilica
43°39′20″N79°21′46″W / 43.65556°N 79.36278°W / 43.65556; -79.36278
Location83 Power Street
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Denomination Roman Catholic
Website stpaulsbasilica.org
History
Status Minor basilica (since 1999)
Founded1822 (1822)
Dedication Paul the Apostle
Architecture
Architect(s) Joseph Connolly
Style Romanesque Revival
Groundbreaking 1887
Completed1889
Administration
Archdiocese Toronto
Parish St. Paul's
Clergy
Archbishop Francis Leo
Pastor(s) Father Robert E. O'Brien

St. Paul's Basilica is the oldest Roman Catholic congregation in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 83 Power Street in the Corktown neighbourhood, just east of downtown, near the intersection of Queen and Parliament streets.

Contents

History

The parish was established in 1822 by James Baby, when the Town of York was part of the Diocese of Kingston, and it was the only Roman Catholic parish between Kingston and Windsor. The original church building was completed on the current site in 1824. It was constructed of red brick in the Gothic Revival style.

To serve the expanding Irish immigrant community, a school opened soon after the church. When the Diocese of Toronto was separated from the Diocese of Kingston in 1842, St. Paul's served as the pro-cathedral until St. Michael's Cathedral was completed in 1848.

The church is housed in a Romanesque Revival structure that was designed by Joseph Connolly and opened in 1889. It is based on the design of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. The new building was necessary to house the growing congregation. [1]

Inside this church, located in the north transept, a stained-glass window depicts St. Paul holding a sword – with dedication to William Joseph O'Connor, a professional oarsman who grew up in the neighbourhood where the church is located. [2] The Italianate campanile (bell tower) was built in 1905 and contains the bell from the original church.

Interior of St. Paul's Basilica St. Paul's Basilica Interior (2023) - Toronto, ON.jpg
Interior of St. Paul's Basilica

The first Catholic cemetery in Toronto opened east of the church in 1822. The large increase in the Catholic population caused by Irish immigration quickly filled the cemetery to capacity, and it was replaced by St. Michael's Cemetery in 1857. [3] The site of the old cemetery is now the parking lot and playground area for St. Paul's Catholic School.

The church was designated a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1999. [1]

Plaque

ST. PAUL'S BASILICA
Plaque erected at the front of the church
In 1822 St. Paul's was established as the first Roman Catholic Parish between Kingston and Windsor. The first church built of red brick, was opened on this site in 1824. The land to the east of the church was used as Toronto's first Catholic Cemetery.
On December 22, 1889, the present Italian Renaissance style church was dedicated. It was designed by architect Joseph Connelly, under the inspiration of the then Pastor, Bishop Timothy O'Mahoney. The beauty of the church enhances its importance as the mother church of the Toronto Archdiocese.
On August 3, 1999, Pope John Paul II elevated St. Paul's to Basilica status.

In Short Circuit 2 , Johnny Five went into a church, which is renamed as St Katherine's Church.

It is also featured in an episode of the show Suits .

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of St. Louis, King of France</span> Church building in St. Louis, Missouri, US

The Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France, formerly the Cathedral of Saint Louis, and colloquially the Old Cathedral, is a Catholic church in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the first cathedral west of the Mississippi River and until 1844 the only parish church in St. Louis. It is one of two Catholic basilicas in St. Louis and both are named for King Louis IX of France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corktown, Toronto</span> Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Corktown is an older residential neighbourhood in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The neighbourhood is south of Shuter Street, north of the Gardiner Expressway, east of Parliament Street, and west of Don River to the east. Corktown contains many vacated industrial buildings, some now used for movie production, and others repurposed for studios and shops. The West Don Lands development is in the south-east corner of this area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of Sainte Anne de Détroit</span> Historic church in Michigan, United States

Basilica of Sainte Anne de Détroit (Sainte-Anne-de-Détroit) was founded July 26, 1701 by French colonists in New France, and is the second-oldest continuously operating Roman Catholic parish in the United States. The current Gothic Revival cathedral-styled church, built in 1886, is located at 1000 St. Anne Street in Detroit, Michigan, in the Hubbard-Richard neighborhood, near the Ambassador Bridge, and the Michigan Central Station. At one time it was the seat of a diocese that included French territory in Ontario, Canada south of the Detroit River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica (Toronto)</span> Church in Ontario, Canada

St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto, Canada, and one of the oldest churches in Toronto. It is located at 65 Bond Street in Toronto's Garden District. St. Michael's was designed by William Thomas, designer of eight other churches in the city, and was primarily financed by Irish immigrants who resided in the area. The cathedral has a capacity of 1600. John Cochrane and Brothers undertook the work on the stone and stucco ornamentation of the interior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Patrick's Old Cathedral</span> Catholic parish church in Manhattan, New York

The Basilica of Saint Patrick's Old Cathedral, sometimes shortened to St. Patrick's Old Cathedral or simply Old St. Patrick's, is a Catholic parish church, a basilica, and the former cathedral of the Archdiocese of New York, located in the Nolita neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. Built between 1809 and 1815 and designed by Joseph-François Mangin in the Gothic Revival style, it was the seat of the archdiocese until the current St. Patrick's Cathedral in Midtown Manhattan opened in 1879. Currently, liturgies are celebrated in English, Spanish, and Chinese. The church is at 260–264 Mulberry Street between Prince and Houston streets, with the primary entrance on Mott Street. Old St. Patrick parish merged with Most Precious Blood parish, and the two churches share priests and administrative staff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica</span> Church in Ontario, Canada

The Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica is a Roman Catholic minor basilica in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada located on 385 Sussex Drive in the Lower Town neighbourhood. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral of Saint Patrick (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)</span> Historic church in Pennsylvania, United States

The Cathedral of Saint Patrick is a cathedral of the Catholic Church in downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the mother church of the Diocese of Harrisburg and is the seat of its bishop. It is a contributing property in the Harrisburg Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of St. John the Baptist</span> Historic church in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

The Basilica-Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador is the metropolitan cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John's, Newfoundland and the mother church and symbol of Roman Catholicism in Newfoundland. The building sits within the St. John's Ecclesiastical District, a National Historic District of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Keely</span> Irish-American architect

Patrick Charles Keely was an Irish-American architect based in Brooklyn, New York, and Providence, Rhode Island. He was a prolific designer of nearly 600 churches and hundreds of other institutional buildings for the Roman Catholic Church or Roman Catholic patrons in the eastern United States and Canada, particularly in New York City, Boston and Chicago in the later half of the 19th century. He designed every 19th-century Catholic cathedral in New England. Several other church and institutional architects began their careers in his firm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto</span> Roman Catholic Archdiocese in Canada

The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Toronto is a Roman Catholic archdiocese that includes part of the Province of Ontario. Its archbishop is also the ecclesiastical provincial for the dioceses of Hamilton, London, Saint Catharines, and Thunder Bay. The Archbishop is Francis Leo, appointed in February 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Peter's Cathedral Basilica (London, Ontario)</span> Church in London, Ontario

St. Peter's Cathedral Basilica, is a church located at 196 Dufferin Avenue in London, Ontario, Canada in the Roman Catholic Diocese of London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denis O'Connor (bishop)</span> Canadian prelate of the Catholic Church (1841–1911)

Denis Thomas O'Connor was a Canadian prelate of the Catholic Church. The first member of the Congregation of St. Basil to become a bishop, he served as Bishop of London (1890-1899) and later as the first Canadian-born Archbishop of Toronto (1899-1908).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate</span> Church in Ontario, Canada

Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and parish church in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. A Gothic Revival style building constructed between 1876 and 1888 by architect Joseph Connolly, it is considered Connolly's best work. The monumental church contains decorative carving and stained glass executed by skilled craftsmen. The church of Our Lady is one of the 122 parishes in the Diocese of Hamilton and currently has 2,600 families in the congregation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Notre-Dame Basilica (Montreal)</span> Church in Quebec, Canada

Notre-Dame Basilica ,is a basilica in the historic district of Old Montreal, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The church is located at 110 Notre-Dame Street West, at the corner of Saint Sulpice Street. It is located next to the Saint-Sulpice Seminary and faces the Place d'Armes square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of St. Joseph, Alameda</span> Historic church in California, United States

The Basilica of St. Joseph is a Roman Catholic church located in Alameda, California. Its history dates back to early settlement of the City of Alameda, California. A former mission church of St. Anthony's in Oakland, the parish of St. Joseph's was established in 1885. It is part of the Diocese of Oakland. The Basilica was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 18, 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Notre-Dame Church (Montreal)</span> Church in Montreal, Canada

The Notre-Dame Church was a church in Old Montreal that stood from 1682 until 1830. From 1821 to 1822, it served as the first cathedral of the Diocese of Montreal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Mary's Church (Toronto)</span> Church in Ontario, Canada

St. Mary's Church is a Roman Catholic church located at 130 Bathurst Street at Portugal Square in the Niagara neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The parish was established by Irish immigrants in 1852. The Gothic Revival church was designed by Joseph Connolly and completed in 1889, with the tower finished in 1905. It stands as the picturesque western view terminus for Adelaide Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Francis Xavier Cathedral and Library</span> Historic church in Indiana, United States

The St. Francis Xavier Cathedral is a parish of the Roman Catholic Church in Vincennes, Indiana, under the Diocese of Evansville. Named for Francis Xavier, a 16th-century Jesuit apostle, it is located opposite George Rogers Clark National Historical Park at 205 Church Street, within the Vincennes Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saints Mary and Joseph Catholic Cathedral</span> Church in New South Wales, Australia

Saints Mary and Joseph Catholic Cathedral is a heritage-listed cathedral at 132 Dangar Street, Armidale, Armidale Regional Council, New South Wales, Australia. It is the diocesan cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Armidale and the seat of the Catholic Bishop of Armidale. The cathedral was designed by John Hennessy of Sheerin and Hennessy, and built from 1911 to 1912 by George Frederick Nott. It is also known as the St Mary & St Joseph Catholic Cathedral and the Cathedral of Saint Mary and Saint Joseph. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 13 February 2015.

Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery is a cemetery in Thornhill, Ontario, Canada. It is owned and operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto.

References

  1. 1 2 "St. Paul's Basilica". GCatholic.org. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
  2. Lemos, Coralina R. (2018). Corktown: The History of a Toronto Neighbourhood and the People Who Made It. Canadsa. pp. 116–119. ISBN   978-1775262206.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. "City of Toronto Archives". Archived from the original on September 30, 2007.

Further reading