Downtown, especially on Sainte-Catherine Street, has been under construction for several months. Christ Church Cathedral, located at 635 St. Catherine Street West, is also undergoing restoration work. We had the chance to visit the site last fall. Find the history of the cathedral below as well as a photo report photo report in the second part of this article.
The construction of Christ Church Cathedral
On Dec. 9, 1856, the Anglican community — Montreal's oldest English-speaking congregation — saw its cathedral on Notre-Dame Street, west of present-day Saint- Laurent Boulevard, disappear in flames. This first church, now a cathedral, was built between 1812 and 1814 according to the plans of architect Berzey.
A new lot was quickly acquired on Sainte-Catherine Street, a little further west, between the current University and Union Streets. This land belonged to the estate of Thomas Phillips, who owned a vast strip of land known as Beaver Hall, between de la Gauchetière and Sherbrooke streets. This westward move also reflected the movement of the English-speaking community to the west of Montreal and opened the door to the development of the Golden Square Mile.
The design of the new cathedral was entrusted to the architects Frank Wills and Thomas Scott, who took over after Wills' death. Construction began in 1857 and was completed three years later. Christ Church is in the Gothic Revival style, in keeping with the codes of the Camden Society of Cambridge, with its buttresses and gargoyles, triple portal and rose roof, all giving it a truly medieval look. The use of noble materials, the sobriety of the interior decoration, the richness of the stained-glass windows, and the Gothic arches: everything contributed to meditation and contemplation.
Christ Church Cathedral is cruciform in shape. At the intersection of the two bays is a tower topped by the bell tower, at the top of which the spire is enthroned. The original bell tower, designed by Frank Wills, is made of stone and weighs over 1750 tonnes! As soon as it was built, it began to sink into the ground, which shifted the spire about 165mm to the south at the turn of the 1920s. As a result, the bell tower was removed in 1927.
It was not until 1940 that the new bell tower was installed at the top of the tower. Designed by the firm Ross & Macdonald, it looked just like the original. However, the spire was made of a steel structure covered with cast aluminum panels treated with acid and moulded to imitate stone.
In the 1980s, modern downtown Montreal completely enveloped the cathedral and real estate developments led to the demolition of several old buildings. A project for a shopping centre under the Cathedral that would be integrated into Montreal's underground network, designed by architects Weeb, Zerafa, Menkes and Houdsen, was launched. Christ Church Cathedral was then raised on stilts to allow the construction of the commercial spaces of the Promenade de la Cathédrale. Amazingly, this transformation ensured the preservation of the church, stabilizing the ground on which it was built and provided income for the religious community.
Christ Church Cathedral was designated a historic monument by gouvernement du Québec in 1988 and a National Historic Site of Canada in 1999.
The bell tower gets a facelift in 2020
Since the spring of last year until December 2022, the upper part of the bell tower has been under construction. It is necessary to restore its metal structure and replace the various diaphragms that make up its core.
A small team of eight people work in this small space at an impressive height: the bell tower is almost 67 metres (218 feet) above ground level.
As working at this height is complex, particularly for safety reasons, it was planned that the boom would be cut into two sections and placed on the ground for restoration. However, since the church is located on Sainte-Catherine Street, which is currently under construction, it was difficult to encroach on the street to complete the restoration of the bell tower.
The firm of masonry specialists Rainville and Brothershas therefore opted for a rosette-type scaffolding around the bell tower allowing work to be carried out directly on site... in the airs ! One of the great difficulties for the construction site was to ensure the safety of the structure by fixing it to the ground with heavy weights. Take a tour of the church next time you are on Sainte-Catherine Street to see the large tie-down system that holds the scaffolding in place.
Just like the Dominique-Ducharme building, whose site we also visited, the restoration of the bell tower of Christ Church Cathedral must be done identically since it is a heritage building.
First, the aluminium panels that make up the bell tower dating from 1940 must be dismantled and restored. If the effect is successful and the aluminium bell tower still looks like the stone one seen from the street, it is not, however, a watertight roof. It seems that in the original design, spaces were created between the metal plates (sometimes several millimetres!) allowing water to infiltrate the structure, which corroded the steel that carries the bell tower.
Next, the condition of the steel structure must be assessed. Some parts are too damaged and need to be replaced, while others can be salvaged. However, it is necessary to sandblast and decontaminate the lead paint on the structure before painting the entire structure uniformly.
Finally, after cleaning and restoration in the workshop, the aluminium panels will be reinstalled in their original location, one by one, which accounts for the lengthier duration of the work.
During the visit, we had the chance to climb up to the cross, a truly remarkable moment! Not only is the view of the city centre unique, but when you look at the cross, which is a focal point, you can see how much the scaffolding moves... You have to have a good heart to work at this height, regardless of the weather!
We would like to thank whole heartedly the members of the Rainville et Frères team, Tomas Paquin Boulé, Michael Larivée and Joey Forgues for their welcome and availability during and after the visit, as well as John Diodati and EVOQ Architecture for the opportunity to produce this report.
All photos are by Vivien Gaumand unless otherwise stated.
Sources :
- Christ Church Cathedral, Memorable Montreal, Héritage Montréal
- Christ Church Cathedral, Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec.
- Destruction of the English Cathedral in Notre Dame Street, Montreal herald and daily commercial gazette, December 11, 1856.
