St. Paul's Basilica (Toronto)
The Basilica of St. Paul ( English St. Paul's Basilica ) is a Roman Catholic parish church in Toronto , Canada . The church in the Archdiocese of Toronto is dedicated to St. Paul of Tarsus and has the rank of minor basilica .
history
St. Paul Parish is the oldest Catholic parish in Toronto. It is located in the Corktown neighborhood, east of the city center. The congregation was founded by James Baby in 1822 when the city of York was part of the Archdiocese of Kingston and was the only Catholic parish between Kingston and Windsor. The original structure was built from brick on the same spot. To serve the growing community of Irish immigrants, a school opened shortly after church. When the Diocese of Toronto was divided from the Diocese of Kingston in 1842, St. Paul served as the procathedral until St. Michael's Cathedral was completed in 1848.
architecture
It was decided to build a larger church for the growing community. After the foundation stone was laid in 1887 by Cardinal Elzear-Alexandre Taschereau , the church was built in the Italianate style of the neo-renaissance until 1889 , in contrast to the mostly neo-Gothic churches of the time. The architect Joseph Connolly was based on the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome . The statue of St. Paul was placed above the central door in 1899. The bell tower with the bell of the old church was built in 1905.
Furnishing
The all-wood organ was installed in 1898 by William Hill & Sons, Toronto, and is the only one of its kind in North America. The stained glass windows were installed in 1900, the stations of the cross followed in 1901. The church was decorated with large paintings depicting Paul, among other things.
On August 3, 1999, Pope John Paul II elevated the Church of St. Paul to the rank of a minor basilica.
Web links
- The parish website (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ St. Paul's Basilica at gcatholic.org
- ↑ a b History of the parish (English)
Coordinates: 43 ° 39 ′ 20.2 " N , 79 ° 21 ′ 46.1" W.