Wednesday, October 19, 2011

St. Boniface Cathedral in Winnipeg, MB Canada

St. Boniface Cathedral
A few weeks ago I took a road trip with three friends.  A girls' weekend, so to speak.  We went to Winnipeg, Manitoba which is about six hours north and west of Lake Mary. We had a great time!

Today, I'm posting photos of St. Boniface Cathedral which has a most interesting history.  From 1818 to 1971 there were five cathedrals built.  Twice it was destroyed by fire.  The 1968 fire (a photo of the burning building is at that link) was started while repairs to the roof, etc. were being made.  They were preparing for the 150th anniversary of the Cathedral!

The old facade (above picture) was left standing and the new church was constructed inside the shell.

Inside the old walls...and my friends Diane & Cathy
Detail of the old stone facade

The Bells high on the old facade
There's an excellent video about the Cathedral with shots of the burning building and an explanation about the architect's rationale when he designed the new church inside the old facade.

Here's the LINK to the video. You'll see & hear the bells ringing, too.  It's a nice tour and I think you'll enjoy it...

The entrance to new sanctuary (and Barb)!
We walked around the entire structure inside and out.  Imagine building a new church inside an old one!

A niche in the old walls

The entrance to a burial vault
Outside side view

Another side view

And yet another side view!
The cemetery borders both sides of the walk to the cathedral.  Nearly every tombstone is engraved in French.
St. Boniface Cemetary

Thanks for visiting...I'm going to try to post at least once a week until I have my new schedule figured out...the next posts will include more photographs of our Girls' Weekend!


Winnipeg is an amazing city.  I'm really looking forward to more trips up that way.  With Jack...
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12 comments:

  1. What a nice place to tour and with great friends!

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  2. Fascinating and beautiful! Nice job with the photos.

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  3. Thank you...it was fun, Ramona!

    Thanks much, Elizabeth. My favorite posts are those of my travels. Now, if I could just talk myself into climbing on an airplane...

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  4. Love the photos!! What a great trip and glad you had a great time!

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  5. Cheryl, thanks for posting this. I didn't know it was so amazing.

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  6. Hi Biz, and thank you for stopping by! So glad you enjoyed the pictures.

    You are more than welcome, Leah...it really is an amazing place.

    I actually grew up just south of Winnipeg in a little town in North Dakota. My mom had a cousin who was a pediatrician in Winnipeg and an uncle and aunt there, as well, so we traveled there frequently while I was a child. They were our only Irish relatives on this side of "the pond" at that time.

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  7. Love it! We Canucks are so darned clever, aren't we? Actually, I'm glad they decided to save the shell of the building - it's fascinating.

    Ya know, it's only a 2-day drive (weeellll, maybe a little longer!) from Winnipeg to here. And then you could go on to Alaska. Doesn't every American want to visit Alaska?

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  8. I enjoyed this, Cheryl. Thanks for sharing. I've never been to Manitoba, but I have another blogging friend who lives there; and she posts wonderful pictures from that area, too.

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  9. I visited Manitoba years ago and found it to be a lovely city--especially the museums and zoo. I would love to go again and see the cathedral . Thanks for sharing.

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  10. Hej Cheryl, such beautiful pictures of the cathedral. I liked to see the video and hear the bells. There is something special about church bells. Interesting history. Thank you for sharing.
    Cheers
    Grethe

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  11. That's a wonderful architectural solution to uniting the old and the new. I love stone, so I loved your pictures.

    Mary Anne in Kentucky

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  12. Yes, you Canucks are definitely clever, Bag Lady...and although I really do not have any desire to visit Alaska, I'd head your way, for sure. Could happen!

    Thanks, Linda. It's a pretty old city, for sure.

    We did go to the zoo, Ms Sparrow, and the museum at the park, too. Saw Winnie the Pooh!

    Hi there, Grethe! Thank you very much. The pictures are no match for those that you take, however!

    Mary Anne, I was so impressed with the way that cathedral was honored. I love stone, too.

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