Cathedral Sainte-Thérèse-d'Avila d'Amos

This cathedral is in the heart of my hometown. 

The cathedral was built in the Neo-Byzantine style, which makes it unique in North America. The distinctive feature of this style is its circular shape, unlike Romanesque cathedrals which are cross-shaped. It is located on the central hill of the city, on the east bank of the Harricana River. From its position, it can be seen from afar and from almost all of the city’s main entrances.

The structure of the cathedral is made of steel and reinforced concrete—materials that were quite unusual for religious buildings at that time. The dome of the building is made of the same materials, except that it is covered with copper. Today, the verdigris gives it a greenish hue. The dome measures 30.5 meters (100 feet) in diameter, which matches the diameter of the cathedral itself. When it was built, this dome was the largest reinforced concrete dome in Quebec; it would only be surpassed in 1937 by the dome of Saint Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal, which measures 35.0 meters (115 feet) in diameter. Supported by eight arches evenly spaced in a circular plan, the cathedral’s dome became the largest self-supporting dome in North America. The cathedral reaches a height of 49 meters at the tip of the dome, and the interior vault rises 31 meters high.

The cathedral can seat up to 900 people and can accommodate as many as 1,200 on special occasions.

The interior of the cathedral is warm and welcoming. A red carpet covers the central aisle and extends throughout the sanctuary where the altar stands. The paneling is made of pink Italian marble, the mosaics were designed in Italy, and the stained glass windows—created by the Rault workshop of Rennes, France—were installed during renovations in 1963. The pews are made of dark wood. The walls are decorated in places with paintings depicting key figures of the Catholic faith. To the right of the altar, a niche in the wall serves as the baptismal area. The domed ceiling of this section is adorned with a ceramic mosaic representing the baptism of Christ. The niche on the left side is a prayer area, where candles burn.

The dome is divided into 24 segments radiating from the center, where an immense white marble dove is placed. This dove has a wingspan of three meters. Each segment of the dome is divided in two by a red flower, and the entire border of the dome is decorated with the same floral motif.