Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde et Saint-Jacques

History

The cathedral was built in two main phases, 1870-1878 and 1885-1894, with the cornerstone laid on August 28, 1870, under Bishop Ignace Bourget, who sought to emulate St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Construction stalled amid funding shortfalls; Bourget resigned in 1876 and was succeeded by Édouard-Charles Fabre. The dome was completed in 1886, and Fabre inaugurated the finished cathedral at Easter, March 25, 1894. Pope Benedict XV granted it the title of minor basilica in 1919. A major renovation took place from 1955 to 1960, during which Pope Pius XII renamed it Marie-Reine-du-Monde. Pope John Paul II visited in 1984. The cathedral was designated a National Historic Site of Canada on March 28, 2000.