Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church purchased by the City of Quebec for $175,000

Photo: Francis Vachon Archives Le Devoir The saga of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste church, closed to the public since 2015, seems to be coming to a conclusion.

Sébastien Tanguay in Quebec

Published at 12:31

• Quebec City

The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church, one of Quebec City’s most brilliant religious jewels, is coming under the city’s control. The capital’s mayor, Bruno Marchand, will announce early Monday afternoon that the building is becoming public property for the sum of $175,000.

“It’s a great outcome,” said Serge Savaria, president of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste assembly, regarding the news first reported by Radio-Canada. “We’ve been waiting eight years for something to happen.”

The saga of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church, closed to the public since 2015, seems to be coming to a conclusion. The City, by acquiring the building that gives its name to the surrounding neighborhood, frees the factory from a financial burden that, year in and year out, weighed down its budget by about $100,000 in maintenance and management costs.

The city bought the church for the symbolic sum of one dollar, but the total bill nevertheless came to $175,000. These fees cover the management, maintenance and legal costs incurred by the parish church since August 2023, when it had first proposed to transfer the church to the municipality.

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

For the parish church, this outcome represents a definite “financial relief.”

“Imagine, eight years, at $100,000 per year…”, says Mr. Savaria. “We also had to assume 5% of the sums invested in repairs. It could add up quite quickly.”

Bruno Marchand’s administration had promised to resolve the fate of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste church during its first term. In 2021, the city commissioned the Institut canadien de Québec to explore the uses to be given to the building. The latter recommended that the church be opened up to tourism, community and cultural uses – a lack in the Saint-Jean-Baptiste suburb, a densely populated neighbourhood where gathering places are rare for the community.

The conversion of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste church is nevertheless accompanied, according to another report commissioned by the city on the condition of the building, by a renovation project estimated at $34 million over 15 years. Ottawa says it is prepared to assume part of the costs to restore the building’s luster.

“For us, it's the best solution,” insists Serge Savaria of the Fabrique. “It's an institution that is giving up one of its jewels to another institution. It would be very surprising if worship continued in a church that would be in the hands of the City, but as citizens' interests became more and more apparent regarding the vocation that the community wanted to give it, it became increasingly clear that the City was becoming the best placed to meet these expectations.”

The Coptic Orthodox community had expressed interest in purchasing the church last winter, before finally withdrawing at the end of June.

More details to come.