Description of Historic Place

Building 48, also known as the Catholic Chapel, is situated in the central sector of the village in the Grosse Île and the Irish Memorial National Historic Site of Canada. It is a small structure clad with vertically laid planks and a pitched roof. The round-arched windows are set within pointed arches for the window frames. The bell tower porch rises through the centre of the façade with a rose/wheel window and is crowned with a lantern surmounted by a cross. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

Building 48 is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values:

Historical Value
Building 48 is associated with Canadian immigration and quarantine. Situated on the St Lawrence River 50 km from the Port of Québec, which it served, Grosse Île functioned as the most important quarantine station for immigrants arriving into Canada between 1832 and 1937. In 1857, with the end of British control, the Canadian government became responsible for the Grosse Île quarantine station. The following decades were marked by an intense functional reorganization of the island, under the direction of the medical superintendent, A. Von Iffland. From 1869 to 1899, the new medical superintendent, Frédéric Montizambert, continued the work of his predecessor and was involved in its design and construction of the Catholic Chapel, a very good example of the development of the community.

Architectural Value
Building 48 is valued for its good aesthetic design which was inspired by Protestant churches built in the Gothic Revival style prior to the High Victorian Gothic period. The very functional design includes a small sacristy that adjoins the flat apse of the building and a lean-to porch that provides access to the sacristy. The many Gothic Revival-inspired ornamental details, interior decoration and period furniture exhibit very good craftsmanship.

Environmental Value
Building 48 reinforces the present historic character of its Grosse Île setting. The structure is a well-known local landmark.

Sources: The Catholic Chapel, Grosse Île (Part 2 1861-1880), Quebec, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office, Report 90-031; The Catholic Chapel, Grosse Île, Quebec, Heritage Character Statement 90-031.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of Building 48 should be respected.

Its good aesthetics, its very good functional design and very good craftsmanship, for example:
- the massing that consists of the small chapel with a pitched roof and the attached bell tower porch;
- the timber construction;
- the round-arched openings set within pointed-arch window frames;
- the trefoil motif and circular rose window motif of the bell tower that is echoed in the transom of the main door, the decoration below the cornice and the lantern surmounted by a cross;
- the exterior walls clad in vertically laid planks;
- the interior configuration, finishes and the pews, including the altarpiece, the choir, the false basket-handle vault, and cornice.

The manner in which Building 48 reinforces the historic character of Grosse Île, and is a landmark on the St. Lawrence River, as evidenced by:
- its scale, its design and materials, which complement the related adjacent structures including the Catholic Presbytery;
- its high visibility and familiarity within the central sector, due to its location at the centre of the village.