St. Paul's Basilica
St. Paul’s Basilica is located in downtown Toronto at 83 Power St. on the southeast corner of Queen and Power, one block east of Parliament St. It is easily accessible on the Queen St. streetcar. There is a parking lot adjacent to the church on Power St.
St. Paul’s is the oldest Roman Catholic congregation in Toronto, formerly named York. It was founded in 1822, when the town of York had 189 wooden houses and a population of 1,336. The present building was designed by Joseph Connolly and was erected between 1887 and 1889. He developed a basilican plan based on 15th century Italian Renaissance precedents which was a daring and brilliant move away from the prevalent Gothic style used for religious architecture of the time. The light-filled interior displays all the lucidity and sense of visual order inimitably associated with the Renaissance. St. Paul’s has been likened to the 15th century Santa Maria Novella in Florence, with the green and white marble of that edifice re-created here in rough Credit Valley stone and and smooth Cleveland limestone. The distinguished architect and historian, Eric Arthur, has regarded the interior as the most most beautiful church interior in Toronto.
The organ was built by R.S. Williams & Sons and installed in 1898 though it may have been built previously for another church and then moved to St. Paul’s. The Williams factory was in Oshawa where they built thousands of pianos until the company’s demise at the onset of the economic depression in 1929. All of the other Toronto Williams organs have been rebuilt or removed. In 1977 the organ was restored by Gabriel Kney & Co. of London, Ontario. Names of some of the builders and the date 1898 were found at that time on the inside panel of one of the wind chests.
Listening to our Heritage
Friday, May 23, 20087:30 p.m.
Tickets: $20/$15 (students & seniors)