Adrien Dufresne (1904-1983) was a Canadian architect from Beauport,

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. He is primarily known for his impact on religious architecture in Canada during the 20th century.

Biography

Adrien Dufresne studied at the

École des beaux-arts de Montréal École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...

from 1924 to 1930. Many of the drawings created by Dufresne during his time at the school are stored within the

Laval University Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of: People * House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne * Laval (surname) Places Belgium * Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxe ...

. Dufresne was a close friend of Dom Paul Bellot, and was greatly influenced by his architectural style. He wrote to Bellot in the 1920s after reading about his work in various publications. At Dufresne's encouragement, Bellot travelled to Canada in 1937, where he influenced many local architects. Dufresne designed several monuments, cathedrals and religious structures, including the

Notre-Dame-du-Cap Basilica The Basilica of Notre-Dame-du-Cap is a minor basilica in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada. It is Canada's national shrine to the Veneration of Mary in the Catholic Church, Blessed Virgin Mary, and one of the country's six national shrines. Each year ...

Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières (, ; ) is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River, Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence River, Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Sain ...

. He began work on the basilica in 1955, although the basilica was not opened until 1964.

Death and legacy

Dufresne spent much of his life in Beauport, Quebec City, where he died in 1983 in his family home. Adrien-Dufresne Boulevard in his home district of Beauport was named after him in 1992.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dufresne, Adrien 1904 births 1983 deaths 20th-century Canadian architects