Description of Historic Place

Notre Dame d’Auvergne Parish Church is a Municipal Heritage Property located in the Town of Ponteix. The property features a monumental Roman Catholic Church constructed between 1928 and 1930. The brick-clad church is surmounted by twin spires and displays Romanesque Revival style influences. The church is adjacent to several associated historic buildings, including a convent, former hospital, and parish hall.

Heritage Value

The Notre Dame d’Auvergne Parish Church is valued as the place of worship for the Catholic residents of parish since 1930. The great size and elaborate design of the church reflects the fortitude and devotion of its early parishioners as well as their priest, Father Napoleon Poirier, who directed its construction. The church also represents the establishment of the parish in 1908 by French and Belgian settlers, and in effect, the community of Ponteix.

Notre Dame d’Auvergne Parish Church is also of heritage value for its architecture, being one of the largest and most impressive churches in Saskatchewan. Planned by the Montreal architect Roland Simard of the firm Larose and Simard, the Romanesque Revival style of the design is influenced by the church architecture of northern France from the 12th century. Reflecting this influence are the tall square towers that balance the façade, the corbelling beneath the roofline, the round-arch windows and the slender columns with cushion capitals which mark the entrance. The dimensions of the church contribute to its grandeur, with spires extending 34 metres, an interior length of 54 metres, and a ceiling that rises over 15 metres. The immense open span of the interior is one of the largest such spaces among churches in the province and provides seating for 1000 people. The use of regional materials, such as its textured brick from Estevan, also contributes to the character of the church. The church is also notable for being one of the largest reinforced concrete structures in south-west Saskatchewan at the time of construction.

There is also value in the relationship of the Notre Dame d’Auvergne Parish Church to the streetscape. The church is the focal point of several historic buildings associated with the parish. South of the church is the Notre Dame d’Auvergne Parish Hall (1923), and directly west of the church is the Sisters of Notre Dame Convent (1916) and the former Gabriel Hospital (1918). These buildings, with the church as their focal point, reflect the parish’s activity in the community over time.

Source:

Town of Ponteix Bylaw # 02/2005.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of Note Dame d’Auvergne Parish Church resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements which relate to the architecture of the exterior, including its immense scale and cruciform plan, twin spires surmounted by ornate cast-iron crosses, its steep standing seam sheet metal roof, its textured brick exterior with cast concrete detail, multi-pane windows with stained and opaque glass and storm sashes, the three front entrances with oak doors and transom lights, the straight-flight concrete steps to the entrance;
-those elements which relate to the architecture of the interior such as the uninterrupted open character of the nave, the cruciform plan of the sanctuary, the barrel vault ceiling, the rear and side galleries, the choir gallery lining the walls of the apse, two gallery-level pulpit boxes, the raised chancel, the scored plaster walls with classical style mouldings including a heavy egg-and-dart cornice, the oak millwork of the window and door surrounds, the hanging glass and metal lanterns;
-those elements which relate to its location, such as the building’s orientation on its original lot.