The Saint-Jean-Baptiste community is pleased that the historic church on Saint-Jean Street, which closed its doors in 2015, remains a place of worship by placing it in the hands of the Coptic for the symbolic amount of $1 -Orthodox community.
The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Parish factory and its president, Serge Savaria, may be relieved of the financial burden of more than $100,000 per year associated with maintaining the building, and are all the more relieved because the place is “a “will remain church.
The President of the Parish of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Serge Savaria, and the members of the Management Committee of the Coptic Orthodox Community, Nabila Nassif and Fisent Boctor. Photo Vincent Desbiens
“It is for this reason that this monumental building was built and it is a great pleasure to be able to preserve this same use at a time when churches are being converted more frequently,” he argues.
Although no agreement has been signed yet, the Coptic Orthodox community, which has between 60 and 70 members in the Quebec region, hopes to take possession of the premises as soon as possible in order to build its new “home”. .
“We were told that at some point we would have to leave the church that had welcomed us, so we took advantage of the opportunity that presented itself with the Church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste,” explains Frieze, a member of the administrative committee of the Boctor Orthodox Coptic Community.
The two parties announced the upcoming agreement during a consultation with Saint-Jean-Baptiste parishioners on Sunday. The approval of the Ministry of Culture and Communications is required to complete the transaction, as the building, built in 1881, is considered to be of exceptional value.
Premature
When asked how they will cover the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church's significant maintenance and preservation costs, Quebec's Orthodox Copts claim it is “too premature” to present a detailed solution.
“We will count on the support of the Coptic Church and its tens of thousands of members in Canada, as with our other houses across the country.” We can benefit from government support in the conservation work, as the building is a treasure of cultural heritage,” emphasizes Nabila Nassif, member of the religious community preparing the acquisition.
disappointment
While several practicing members of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste parish welcomed the factory's decision to sell its iconic building to Christian “brothers,” the news still sparked disappointment in the suburb's community.
“It is a mixture of disappointment and concern,” complains the general director of the SDC of Faubourg Saint-Jean-Baptiste, François Blay Martel. Is the reopening of the church as a place of worship the best thing that could have happened in the neighborhood? I don't know, because the projects that have been proposed or are in development had good potential to give more dynamism to the commercial vein. »
Mr Blay Martel claims the church could have been useful for community events such as public markets or even to accommodate organizations looking for premises when space is a critical issue in the industry.
“Many scenarios have been considered in recent years, but the fact is that the church was still closed for nine years. There is a party that urgently needs to find a new home and we must get rid of it immediately,” replies Serge Savaria.