Styles

This architectural style was inspired by models introduced by the French who came to New France in the middle of the 17th century. Parish churches were built according to three types of architectural plans which were used throughout Québec until the renewal of formal design in the early 19th century. The Jesuit plan took its name from the first missionaries who built a stone church in Québec in 1647. They used a Latin cross style plan with a transept crossing the nave two-thirds of the way along which allowed for two side chapels. The Recollect plan was also introduced by this community who erected several monuments in New France, including a convent and church in Upper town, Québec built in 1692. It is formed of a large nave, without transept, which narrows towards the choir thus creating interior chapels. It ends in a flat or semicircular chevet. The Maillou plan is attributed to the architect and master builder who simplified the first two plans by designing a semicircular choir onto a rectangular nave without transept. The extent to which the church interiors were decorated depended on the availability of resources. The churches became prototypes for parish architecture throughout New France.

The Palladian style was introduced into England in the middle of the 18th century. It was inspired by works of the Italian renaissance, especially those of the 16th century Venetian style. The work of the architect Andrea Palladio was a source of inspiration for the English architects who copied his technique of proportion and his classical style of decoration. The British occupation after the conquest led to the construction of Protestant churches built in a classical style with pilasters, pediments, cornices, and Palladian and oval windows. The Anglican cathedral, Holy Trinity, in Québec was inspired by this movement.

The styles of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome were revived in Italy in the 15th century. The architects of the 19th century also proposed a rebirth of classical forms by returning to the sources of the ancient and renaissance styles. By studying the palaces and temples of these periods, they tried to establish and apply a coherent system of proportion. Unlike the British classicism (or palladianism), the classic vocabulary was not just used because it belonged to the period, but for its symbolism which referred to the important buildings of the history of western architecture. Monumentality, symmetry and precision were the particular qualities desired. In Québec, the façade of the Basilica-Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Québec, proposed in 1843 by Thomas Baillairgé, is an example of neo-classicism. Other examples include the churches of Sainte-Geneviève in Pierrefonds and La Visitation-de-la-Bienheureuse-Vierge-Marie, in Sault-au-Récollet.

This style was introduced into Québec around 1825, and spread throughout the second half of the 19th century. Like the historic styles, it is a reinterpretation of the Gothic style architecture which began in Europe in the middle of the 12th century and continued until the beginning of the 16th century. The Gothic style was mainly developed in France, Germany and England with its principal characteristics being the buttresses, the flying-buttresses and the pointed arched windows. The architects of the 19th century used the Neo-gothic style for symbolic purposes, especially for religious architecture. The first example of this style in Québec is the Basilica-Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Montréal which was designed by the Irish architect James O'Donnell between 1824 and 1829. Other remarkable examples include the churches of Sainte-Marie de Beauce and Rivière-du-Loup by Charles Baillairgé, built during the eighteen-fifties.

During the second half of the 19th century the different denominations were looking for a distinctive architectural style. Drawing from various sources, the historical styles ensured that its monuments would stand out by endowing them with a symbolic value. Following the Neo-gothic; Neo-renaissance, Neo-baroque and even Second Empire appeared in religious architecture in Québec. This allowed for a distinction between the different denominations, and indicated the importance of the communities involved. The Roman Catholics, for example, symbolised their attachment to the Church of Rome by adopting the Neo-renaissance and Neo-baroque styles, both widespread in Italy. Moreover, the styles inspired by the French architecture of the Second Empire gave them a certain nationalism. Although the historical styles were quite distinct when they were first used, the architects of the end of the 19th century had a tendency to use them more freely. From that time on, formal diversity was no longer on a town scale, but different for each separate building. While drawing on various styles, Eclecticism played with proportion, bestowing a kind of power and monumentality to certain parts of the composition such as a doorway, dome or bell-tower. Furthermore, the choice of new building materials often added to the character. The result was seen in the appearance of a particularly rich and varied architecture. The churches of Saint-Antoine-de-Padoue in Longueuil and Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Québec are examples of this vision.

Closely following the classical tradition, beaux-arts architecture employed the same vocabulary in conjunction with contemporary ideas. This was both in the choice of materials and in the methods of construction. It was generally favoured by the architects who studied at the École des beaux-arts de Paris (National Art School in Paris) which had originated from the Académie Royale d'architecture (the Royal Academy of Architecture) founded in 1671. An architectural composition in the beaux-arts style is based on three principles: the congruity of the plans, the balance of proportion, and a style which has to reflect just what the building is for and its importance in the milieu. J. Omer Marchand, Ernest Cormier, Paul-M. Lemieux and Édouard Fiset are among the architects from Québec who graduated from the École des beaux-arts de Paris. The churches of Saint-Cunégonde and Sainte-Marguerite-Marie in Montréal are examples of their work.

An Québec, ecclesiastical architecture was a privileged sphere for the intervention from modern or contemporary architecture. In 1934, the Benedictine monk and architect, dom Paul Bellot, arrived in Québec to give a series of conferences. Inspired by rationalism and looking for a modern architectural symbolism, he proposed a new aesthetic code on religious architecture in Québec. His buildings in polychrome brick betray the use of a formal vocabulary giving character to the building with his use of features such as catinary arches and exposed timber-work. His buildings inspired Québec architects such as Adrien Dufresne and Edgar Courchesne. The old part of the Abbey of Saint-Benoît-du-Lac was built according to the principles determined by the architect monk. His influence was such that it is common to use the term "style dom Bellot" when referring to his own work or that of his successors. More recently, in the middle of the 20th century, with suburbs and new developments becoming the favoured places to live, a vast number of new parishes needed to be created, leading to the construction of new churches. Europe once again provided the models, principally through the architecture of Le Corbusier. Several churches were built in this style including the church of Notre-Dame de Fatima in Jonquière.