Description of the attraction
Among the many attractions of the city of Ottawa, the building of the former Roman Catholic Church of St. Brigida, which today is home to the Irish-Canadian cultural center known as the St. Brigida Center for the Arts, deserves special attention.
In the middle of the 19th century, the Basilica of Our Lady (Notre Dame) was the only Catholic church in Ottawa, where both the English-speaking and French-speaking Catholic communities of the city attended services. By 1870, the percentage of Irish people living in Ottawa, of whom the predominantly English-speaking community consisted, had declined sharply, and their role and influence in the life and management of Notre Dame Cathedral diminished significantly. Over time, the question arose of creating a separate English-speaking parish. In 1888, consent was finally obtained from the Archbishop of Ottawa Joseph Thomas Duhamel to create a new parish, and already in 1889, the construction of the future St. Brigida Church began on the corner of St. Patrick and Cumberland Streets. The neo-Romanesque structure was designed by James R. Bowes. The solemn consecration of the church took place in August 1890.
In May 2006, Archbishop Marcel Gervais decided to close the Church of Saint Brigid, citing a reduction in the number of parishioners and, as a result, a lack of funds to maintain its functioning and the impossibility of even carrying out routine repairs. In 2007, the building was put up for sale and as a result sold for 450 thousand Canadian dollars. The new owners renovated the building to house the Irish-Canadian Cultural Heritage Center and now regularly hosts various social and cultural events - exhibitions, concerts, theatrical performances, as well as weddings and corporate parties.
