In 1946, when an English-speaking Catholic parish was created in Rouyn-Noranda, the community gathered temporarily in the former Moose Hall on 9th Street, while waiting to find land and the financial means to build a church for the parish. It took thirteen years to meet the necessary conditions!
The site chosen, located behind Youville Hospital and across from what was then an English-speaking Catholic high school, was modest and irregular, but it proved to be strategic. It was in the heart of the area already frequented by the community, on the border between Rouyn and Noranda.
Photo credit: Paul Trépanier
Built in 1959 according to the plans of architect Auguste Martineau, who also designed the Youville pavilion of the Rouyn-Noranda hospital located just behind it, the Blessed Sacrament Church is a Catholic brick building resting on a laminated wood frame. Its rectangular plan is extended by a separate volume for the choir, framed by two annexes that serve as sacristies, and a covered passageway connects the church to the flat-roofed presbytery.
On the facade, all the openings are grouped in the center. Aligned under the three bays of windows are three portals under a marquee. The side facades are punctuated by three bays, each composed of two rows of rectangular windows and topped by a gable in the shape of a gendarme's hat.
Here you can see the church just after its completion in 1959.
Photo credit: BAnQ
Notice the presence of a few workers completing minor tasks just after construction was completed.
Notice how dark the interior of this church is compared to the interiors of French-speaking Catholic churches in Quebec, this is a common feature in English-speaking Catholic churches. The light is largely filtered by the stained glass windows, and the dark colors of materials such as brick and wood amplify the cozy and enveloping atmosphere of the place.
Photo credit: Louise Daoust
Even with the lighting from the mid-century style pendant lights, the interior of the church remains rather dark, even in broad daylight.
Designed by architect Auguste Martineau, a specialist in institutional complexes, it is part of a series of parish buildings that the architect designed for English-speaking Catholic communities in the Ottawa area.
Built on an irregular plot of land behind the hospital, the church adopts an Anglo-Saxon-inspired modernity, inherited from the rationalism of the Arts & Crafts movement. This approach emphasizes the natural texture and color of the materials, at the expense of a brighter and more ornate decor. The diversity of glass colors used for the windows in the nave and choir accentuates this character.
Among the modern churches in Rouyn-Noranda, Blessed Sacrament is today one of the buildings that has best preserved its authenticity.
- 1946 Foundation of the parish
- 1947 Canonical establishment of the parish and arrival of Father John A. Caufield, minister and builder
- 1959 Construction of the church and rectory
- Its location within an institutional area
- Its rectangular shape and gabled roof
- Its materials, including concrete foundations and brick cladding
- Its triple double doorway, canopy, and large mitered arch window on the facade
- Its rectangular side windows
- Its main facade, portico, and steps