Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica

The twin spires of the Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica rise above the Lowertown skyline, topped with gilded statues that once served as beacons for nineteenth-century lumbermen navigating the Ottawa River. This limestone landmark, the oldest standing church in the city, began construction in eighteen forty-one as a modest parish church. During its early years, the structure underwent a significant stylistic shift, moving from a planned Neoclassical design toward the French Gothic Revival architecture that defines its facade today.