Notre-Dame-de-Lorette Church (1865)
Tabernacle
Antependium of the Virgin and Child
Sculpture of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
Sanctuary lamp
Sculpture La Santa Casa de Loreto
Balustrade
Sculpture Notre-Dame-de-Lorette
Organ
Monstrance
Tabernacle
(1982.802.1, Huron Chapel Collection, Huron-Wendat Museum)This tabernacle was designed by Noël Levasseur in Quebec City around 1722. It is one of
the principal ornaments of the church and represents the home of God. It is made of
gilded wood and richly decorated with arches, columns, vegetal arabesques and cherubs'
heads. A gilded ciborium adorns the door of the Eucharistic reserve. Above, the mystical
lamb is represented standing rather than lying down. Eighteenth century tabernacles, such
as this one, are generally composed of three parts. At the bottom are the steps and the
eucharistic reserve, in the center is the monstrance or order stage, and above is the
crowning stage.
The style used by Levasseur makes the tabernacle a basic structure that can be adapted to
the needs of the celebrants. At least one other craftsman would have contributed: Jean
Vézina, who would have sculpted the panels hollowed out in the altarpiece between the
columns in the 20th century.
https://www.patrimoine-culturel.gouv.qc.ca/rpcq/detail.do?methode=consulter&id=94898&type=bien
Antependium of the Virgin and Child
(1982.858, Huron Chapel Collection, Huron-Wendat Museum)The altar front of the Virgin and Child was used regularly in the church from its creation in the second half of the 17th century until the 1950s. It is a removable decorative piece that can be placed in front of the altar tomb. This one has the particularity of being made of carved wood, gilded and silvered. In addition, there is a rare combination of elements from French and indigenous cultures.
The upper and lower parts of the work were probably made at different times, by different artists. The upper part, which is older, matches the style of embroidery used by the Ursulines at the end of the 17th century. The lower carving would be later and would probably have been done by a native carver, possibly the Huron-Wendat François Vincent (1737-1804).
Sculpture of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
(1982.878, Huron Chapel Collection, Huron-Wendat Museum)This sculpture signed Bernardi & Nieri represents Kateri Tekakwitha. Of Mohawk origin, she was born in 1656 in Ossernenon, New York. In 1660, her village was hit by a smallpox epidemic. Her family was taken away, but she survived the disease. She kept marks on her face and her vision was affected. In 1676, she converted to Christianity. She leads a pious life, takes a vow of chastity and practices mortification. Her health was weakened, and she died in 1680 in Kahnawake. The scars on her face would then have disappeared. This is the first miracle attributed to her.
She was beatified in 1980 by John Paul II and in 2012 she became the first Native American to be canonized by the Catholic Church in a ceremony presided over by Pope Benedict XVI. She is the Patron of the environment, ecology, people in exile and Native Americans.
Sanctuary lamp
(1982.824, Huron Chapel Collection, Huron-Wendat Museum)It is one of the oldest pieces in the church's treasury. It was acquired by the businessman Charles Aubert de la Chesnaye and donated to the Jesuits of Notre-Dame-de-Lorette. The style of this piece is typical of French silverware from the third quarter of the 17th century, and it can be determined that it was created in France between 1650 and 1675. It is made of silver and is decorated with angels' heads in relief, as well as vegetal and floral patterns. The lantern is made of red glass, as is the tradition. Permanently lit, the sanctuary lamp indicates that the tabernacle contains the consecrated hosts and therefore that Christ is present in the church. It hangs from the ceiling in the choir of the church, near the altar.
Sculpture La Santa Casa de Loreto
(1982.844, Huron Chapel Collection, Huron-Wendat Museum)This artwork, named La Santa Casa de Loreto, was carved in wood by Noël Levasseur at the end of the 17th or beginning of the 18th century. It illustrates the legend of the same name which tells that, in the 13th century, during the time of the crusades, two angels transported the birthplace of the Virgin of Nazareth to Loreto, Italy. A local legend tells that when the Huron-Wendat were moved from Ancienne-Lorette to Wendake, the sculpture was moved in a similar manner. It has stood above the main altar since the erection of the present church in 1730 and recalls the pact between the Virgin and the Huron-Wendat when they arrived on Île d'Orléans in 1654.
The sculpture, composed of three parts, measures approximately 90 cm x 190 cm. The house is in the Canadian style (ridge roof, stone chimney at the end). In some old photos, the front of the house has only two windows, so a third was added later.
https://www.patrimoine-culturel.gouv.qc.ca/rpcq/detail.do?methode=consulter&id=235175&type=bien
Balustrade
(1982.804, Huron Chapel Collection, Huron-Wendat Museum)The balustrade, also called the communion table, has wooden sections and four sections covered with yellow copper in the center. It has a door and serves to separate the sanctuary from the nave. The copper section, decorated with floral and vegetal patterns, dates from the end of the 17th century. It would have been part of the first Jesuit church in Quebec City. After its destruction in 1759, it would have been sent to Jeune-Lorette at the time of the reconstruction of the chapel. Fortunately, it was spared during the fire of 1862.
Sculpture Notre-Dame-de-Lorette
(1982.843, Huron Chapel Collection, Huron-Wendat Museum)Notre-Dame de Lorette was sculpted in wood by Noël Levasseur around 1730. The sculpted heads of the Virgin and the Child would have been the only original elements. Shortly afterwards, the kiosk would have been added. In the 19th century, a sculpted triangle replaced the dress, which was originally intended to be a real embroidered garment. The adoring angels are attributed to the sculptor Louis Jobin, who would have added them during the 20th century.
The presence of the work in the church testifies to the importance of the Marian devotion among the Huron-Wendat. As its name indicates, the Notre-Dame-de-Lorette mission is under the patronage of the Virgin of Loreto.
https://www.patrimoine-culturel.gouv.qc.ca/rpcq/detail.do?methode=consulter&id=94939&type=bien
https://www.patrimoine-culturel.gouv.qc.ca/rpcq/detail.do?methode=consulter&id=94937&type=bien
Organ
This organ was built in 1968 in Saint-Hyacinthe by Orgue Providence (now Guilbault-Thérien) for Claude Lavoie. He was then the titular of the organs of the church of Saints-Martyrs-Canadiens in Quebec City and used it as a practice organ. In 1978, the church of Sainte-Marie-Médiatrice, in Loretteville, acquired the organ. When the church closed in 2010, the organ was removed and reinstalled in the church of Notre-Dame-de-Lorette in Wendake by the same organ-building firm.The organ has two manual keyboards and pedalboard, 33 stops, six ranks and 421 pipes.
Monstrance
(1982.827, Huron Chapel Collection, Huron-Wendat Museum)This monstrance was made by a Parisian silversmith, Claude Boursier, between 1663 and 1664, making it probably the oldest monstrance preserved in Canada. Its function is to hold the consecrated host and display it.
The sun is in vermeil and red, green and white gems are set between its rays. The armorial bearings of Claude Prévost, three roses, are found on the base and under the foot, one can read: "CLAVDE PREVOST ANTIEN ESCHEVIN OF THE CITY OF PARIS AND ELISABET LE GENDRE HIS WIFE GIVEN TO BE USED AT THE CHURCH OF THE JESUIT FATHERS IN THE THREE RIVERS LAN 1664". There is no indication that it was used in Trois-Rivières. Rather, the Jesuits decided to take it directly to the mission of Notre-Dame-de-Lorette.
