Cathedral garden construction should begin this summer

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

Construction for the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity garden project is expected to kick into high gear this summer.

Rev. Christian Schreiner, dean of the cathedral, told parishioners in a recent news- letter to be prepared for “a number of major works” over the next few months, including continued landscaping of the cathedral close, renovations to the wall facing Rue Sainte-Anne, archeological excavations in the vicinity of the wall and completion of exterior painting work on the cathedral.

As a result, the newsletter warned, some areas will be inaccessible, there will be more foot and vehicle traffic around the cathedral as construction and excavation crews move in and out, and no-parking signs may be posted. Parishioners will still be able to access the lot for Sunday services, and the cathedral’s summer crafts market will go ahead. Construction of the cloister garden will get underway in early August, subject to the availability of a city archeologist. By law, any construction site in the Old City must be inspected by archeologists before planned work can go ahead.

The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, the oldest Anglican church outside the British Isles, was built between 1800 and 1804 on the site of a Récollet monastery which had been destroyed by fire. The Récollets grew vegetables, flowers and medicinal herbs in a large garden on the land where the cathedral now stands. The Ursuline convent had its own garden just up the street, and the Jesuits had one nearby. Today, all that remains of the gardens are the names of the street in front of the cathedral and City Hall – Rue des Jardins – and the public square behind City Hall – Les Jardins de l’Hôtel- de-Ville. In 2022, the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Foundation announced plans to build a public garden on the cathedral property, with support from the Ville de Québec, the Anglican Diocese of Quebec and individual donors. Last spring, a work by Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz was unveiled on the site of the future garden; at the time, Schreiner said the project’s goal was to “bring the gardens back to Rue des Jardins.”

Historian David Mendel, president of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Foundation, explained that the foundation planned to build two gardens – a main garden in front of the cathedral and a smaller “cloister garden” in the former enclosure between the church hall and the former bishop’s residence. The cloister garden “is inspired to a certain extent by the French formal gardens, which the Récollet friars had on the site prior to the construction of the cathedral,” Mendel said.  “It’s … a smaller, intimate contemplative garden, which will complement the bigger garden, which will be more English-style, more informal.” Mendel said he expected the cloister garden to be inaugurated later this year.

Meanwhile, Mendel said, work will begin on the wall along Rue Sainte-Anne, “which is in bad shape and was never intended to support the earth which comes up against it.” An underground concrete support will be built to shore up the centuries-old wall. “The stone outside wall will be removed temporarily and put back in 2026.”

“Almost everything is in place, but nothing can start until we have confirmation of when the archeologists are available, because they have to be there. Once we have that, then the rest falls into place,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of work on the cathedral and the church hall over the years, but we haven’t had to co-ordinate it with so many other moving parts as is the case right now. Everyone is working together to iron out the inconveniences as much as possible.”

He said he expected construction of the main garden to get underway in earnest in late 2027 or early 2028.

“It’s part of the philosophy of our congregation to be welcoming, but also we are stewards of something that is very special,” he said. “This is one of the most important historic sites in Canada. The cathedral is filled with history and beauty, but it’s surrounded by a very unattractive, muddy mess. So [we have] a sense of responsibility to improve that, but also an opportunity to do something special which will be inspiring to people – and if people know about a place, then they want to get involved,” he concluded.

To learn more about the cathedral gardens or to donate to support the project, visit jardinsdelacathedrale.ca/en.