The Historic St. Boniface Cathedral of Winnipeg
The Story of the French Community in Manitoba, Canada
Oct 31, 2009
Most cities have at least one landmark that captures a part of their history and character, such as the pyramids near Cairo or Buckingham Palace in London. In Winnipeg, one of these landmarks is the façade of the St. Boniface Cathedral near the banks of the Red River, where the old and new exist together.
The History and Development of St. Boniface
St. Boniface, once a separate settlement but now a part of Manitoba’s capital city, Winnipeg, is one of the oldest French communities in Canada, and the façade of the old St. Boniface Cathedral is one of the area’s most recognizable landmarks. According to the Winnipeg Kiosk website, the structure is part of a history that began with a North West Company fur-trading outpost.
Originally called Fort Rouge, the outpost was renamed after the arrival of Roman Catholic priests in the area. The Manitoba government’s website records the story of the five cathedrals that have stood on the site since Father Joseph-Norbert Provencher first built a log chapel there in 1818. He named the chapel for St. Boniface, a missionary monk who preached to Germanic tribes in the eighth century.
The First Chapel at St. Boniface and its Successors
The small chapel stood for years until 1832, when Bishop Provencher oversaw the construction of a cathedral with two spires. The next development came in 1862, when Bishop Taché commissioned builders to construct a new stone cathedral to replace the old one. An imposing stone structure designed by the architectural company Marchand and Haskell followed in 1906 under the direction of Archbishop Langevin. Built in the ornately carved French Romanesque style, the cathedral served at a place of worship for the community until a fire in 1968 consumed all but the façade, sacristy, and outer walls.
Construction of the New St. Boniface Cathedral
Construction on a new cathedral started in 1972 when architect Étienne Gaboury designed a structure incorporating the ruins of the old cathedral with a new, modern building that still stands today, still in use since its dedication by Archbishop Badoux in 1972. The old remaining walls still hold the tombs of some of the bishops who served at the cathedral, while the cemetery just outside the cathedral also includes many interesting sights, including the grave of Louis Riel, nineteenth-century rebel and founder of a province.
A tour around the site gives a fascinating insight into the history of the French community in Manitoba, while a visit to one of the cathedral’s services can enhance the experience and give valuable insights into the people and landmarks of the Winnipeg area.
Although the church currently located at the site of the St. Boniface Cathedral bears little resemblance to the original chapel or its successors over the years, together with the remains of the previous structure, it stands in the traditions of the French community of Manitoba as a reminder of the cultural and religious heritage of Canada.
 |
