St. Anthony's Church
427 Booth Street
Written by Bytown Museum
on
03/Dec/2009
St. Anthony's Church is considered by many as the heart of Ottawa's Italian community. The congregation dates back to 1908, when the Italian community first attended masses in a church on Murray Street. Five years later, construction began on St. Anthony's Church. Four years after its construction, the church caught fire, but was not completely destroyed.
The church took advantage of the need to rebuild to enlarge the building in order to accommodate a growing congregation. Under the guidance of Guido Nincheri, a renowned Italian-Canadian artist, the church was remodeled, including vibrant stained-glass windows and breathtaking frescoes. The new church was inaugurated in November 1925. Four years later, yet another fire damaged the church but did not destroy it. Reconstruction began immediately, and every wooden part of the structure was removed and replaced with fire-proof materials.
Did you know that St. Anthony is the patron saint of lost items, the poor and travellers? The next time you lose something, try invoking St. Anthony with the following saying: "Tony, Tony, look around. Something's lost and must be found."
