Project Description
Notre-Dame-des-Victoires
Originally called l’Église de l’Enfant Jésus, (The Church of the Christ Child), the name of this church was changed twice, after two victories over the English. first to Notre-Dame de la Victoire, and then Notre Dame des Victoires, Our Lady of Victories.
A Place of Worship for the Lower Town:
During most of the 17th century there was no church in the lower town and it was very difficult, in the cold winter months, for the residents of that sector ? especially children, the sick and elderly ? to climb up the steep, icy slope of the Côte de la Montagne to reach Notre-Dame de Québec. So, in 1680, Bishop Laval wrote to the King to request permission to build a church in the lower town. Space became available two years later, after a huge fire swept away most of the buildings around the market square, but it was not until 1688 that construction of the new church finally began.
A rooftop view of Notre Dame des Victoires, the houses of Place Royale and the icy waters of the St. Lawrence. The bell tower and steeple were constructed between 1858 and 1861, according to the plans of architect Joseph Ferdinand Peachy.
A wrought iron cross, adorned with the fleur de Lys ? a centuries-old symbol of France ? supports a weather vane in the form of a golden cock. The cock reminds worshippers of the prophecy made by Jesus during the Last Supper: “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.” Luke 22, verse 34.
A Modest Exterior :
The original plans for the church, prepared by architect Claude Baillif in 1687, had called for an elegant classical façade, in finely-cut stone. But resources were limited at that time, and it was not until 1723 that the church was finally completed in a simplified form. Constructed by architect Jean Maillou, it was built with rough stone walls, covered with a layer of whitewashed mortar. Ornamentation was reduced to three niches for statues, with a bull’s-eye window over the entrance portal.
Destruction by Fire Bombs and Changes over the Years:
An engraving, made after a detailed drawing by British naval officer Richard Short, shows the ruins of Notre Dame des Victoires after the bombardment of 1759. English firebombs destroyed the church and the houses surrounding Place Royale, leaving only the stone walls still standing.
A watercolour by British officer James Pattison Cockburn shows the square on a Sunday, around 1830. At that time there were so many worshippers in the lower town that there was not enough room in Notre-Dame-des Victoires church to contain them all.
Architectural historian Jack Richardson once described Notre-Dame-des-Victoires church as being a bit like grandfather’s axe: the blade has been replaced many times, and the handle has been replaced many times … but it’s still grandfather’s axe. Although the church was first constructed in the late 17th century, most of the ornamentation we see today was sculpted by Raphaël Giroux, a follower of architect Thomas Baillairgé, between 1854 and 1857.
The Tabernacle:
The tabernacle, which as designed and sculpted by architect David Ouellet in 1878, is in the form of a medieval fortress, supporting a statue of Our Lady of Victories. It is flanked by golden angels, holding flags indicating the dates of the two victories over the English: 1690 and 1711. Paintings, on the wall above the two angels, illustrate these French triumphs.
On the right-hand side, the allegorical figure of a crowned woman, bearing a shield adorned with three fleur de lys, personifies the French victory of 1690, when a large English military force, borne up the St. Lawrence by a fleet of ships from Boston, failed to take Quebec. Inspired by a medal that was struck on the order of Louis XIV to commemorate the defeat of the English, the painting includes a text in Latin that reads: “Quebec Liberated”.
The painting on the left-hand side refers to second English attempt on the city, in 1711. Another large fleet departed from Boston to attack Quebec, but never reached the capital of New France. The invading force became lost in a thick fog on the St. Lawrence and a number of the ships ran aground on reefs and sank. Over a thousand men drowned, and what remained of the English fleet turned around and went back to Boston.
No matter whether you are French, British, American or Russian, there is always a tendency to believe that God is on your side in time of war. The French were convinced that they had been saved by divine intervention. The painting depicts a warrior angel, sending an English ship to the bottom of the St. Lawrence. In thanks to the Virgin Mary for her miraculous protection of the city, the tabernacle of Our Lady of Victories church was sculpted in the form of a medieval fortress, with battlements and round, crenelated towers.
Ex Votos:
Suspended from the ceiling of the church is a large model of the Brézé, a 17th-century French warship. This is an Ex Voto ? a gift given to the church in thanks for a favour obtained. In 1664, the Marquis de Tracy, a viceroy, was sent to Quebec City to take charge of the French troops in North America. After a difficult journey, he gave thanks to God for his safe arrival by having a model of the ship constructed and suspending it from the ceiling of cathedral, in the upper town. It remained there until 1759, when English fire-bombs came crashing through the roof. The ship fell to the floor, shattering into pieces. The broken model was taken to the Seminary, next door, where it remained until the 1950s, when it was finally restored and suspended from the ceiling of this church. It is one of the most fascinating objects to have survived in Quebec City from the 17th century.
Other Ex Votos can be seen in Notre-Dame des Victoires church. A painting depicts a ship in distress on a stormy sea. Written in the left hand corner are the words EX VOTO. Dated 1747, the text tells us that this simple work of art was made at the request of Captain Simonin, in thanks for having survived a terrible storm. In the sky above we see the Virgin Mary, holding the Christ Child, intervening to save the endangered vessel.
Other EX-VOTOs, in the form of stone plaques, can be seen on the walls of the church, given by worshippers in thanks for having been cured of various illnesses.
