The parish of Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes was established on August 4, 1887 by the Montfortain Fathers, so that the residents of Janeville would not have to cover great distances to go to church. The first presbytery and the first chapel were located in one building, known as Tara Hall, on Montreal Road. See: (
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Soon, however, the need was felt to build a church. Designed by Canon Bouillon, diocesan architect, the new church was a replica of France’s Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes basilica. Construction began in 1887 and the church was consecrated on the 29th of July, 1888. Image: (
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Five bells (Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, Louis-Marie de Monfort, St. Jean-Baptiste, St-Patrick and Marie-Louise) were consecrated on September 20, 1927. The tall steeple marked the eastern edge of Vanier for nearly 50 years.
On the night of May 27, 1973, a fire destroyed the church, as well as the scholasticate of Saint-Jean, built in 1901. Happily, there were no deaths or injuries. However, all documents, including the books held by the scholasticate’s library, as well as the archives, were lost. Only the church’s five bells were recovered from the ashes. A new and modern building was built at the corner of Montreal Road and Church Street in time for midnight mass on Christmas Eve, 1975:
D’un style moderne, audacieux et agréable à contempler, la nouvelle église est à l’image de sa vénérée patronne Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, belle et accueillante. (Cent ans… avec toi! Page 14)
The modern church’s iconic bell tower wasn’t constructed until 1987 in time for the 100th anniversary of the parish. Designed by André Marchand from Labelle-Marchand-Bernard, an architectural firm based in Montreal, the tower incorporates the five original bells which (once again) call parishioners to worship.
References:
Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes Museoparc.ca (
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VanierNow Church History (
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VanierNow Good Design (
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