The Church of the Madonna della Difesa (, ) is a Catholic church in the neighbourhood of

Little Italy Little Italy is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an Urban area, urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian cul ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

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, ...

, Canada. It was built by

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

immigrants to the city, specifically those from

Molise Molise ( , ; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. Until 1963, it formed part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise together with Abruzzo. The split, which did not become effective until 1970, makes Molise the newest region in Ital ...

, to commemorate the apparition of

the Madonna In Christian art, a Madonna () is a religious depiction of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a singular form or sometimes accompanied by the Child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word ...

in ''La Difesa'', in

Casacalenda Casacalenda (Molisan dialect Casechelenne; Kalena) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Campobasso in the Italian region Molise, located about northeast of Campobasso. History The Greek historian Polybius mentions a battle in 217 BC ...

, Molise. It was designed by Roch Montbriant and Canadian artist

Guido Nincheri Guido Nincheri (1885 – 1 March 1973) was a Canadian painter and designer working mainly in stained glass and fresco. Biography Guido Nincheri was born in Prato, Italy, in 1885. He studied art in Florence and immigrated to Montreal in November 1 ...

. It is Romanesque in style and laid out in a Greek-cross floorplan. It was inaugurated in 1919. Ceiling in the church of Notre Dame de la Defense in Montreal

Ceiling in the church of Notre Dame de la Defense in Montreal

It is famous for its large

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

and brick façade, and especially its

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

s by Guido Nincheri. A particularly well-known fresco depicts

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

on a horse; painted before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, it commemorates his signing of the Lateran Accords. A statue in front of the church commemorates "victims of all wars." Designated a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...

in 2002, it is located at 6800 Henri-Julien Avenue at the corner of Dante Street (

Jean-Talon Jean-Talon is a provincial electoral riding in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada. It consists of part of the Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge borough of Quebec City. It was named after former French colonial administrator of New ...

or Beaubien

metro Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...

stations) in the borough of Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie. Plaqued in 2005, the Church serves the oldest Italian community in Canada.Church of the Madonna della Difesa
/ref> Three priests serve at the church; all are members of the Priestly Fraternity of the Missionaries of St.Charles Borromeo. File:Montreal NDDefense3 tango7174.jpg, The apse File:Montreal NDDefense2 tango7174.jpg, The interior File:Montreal NDDefense4 tango7174.jpg, The transept crossing

References

External links

Parish site

Historic site designation360 degree virtual tour of the church
{{Authority control Italian diaspora in Canada Christian organizations established in 1919 M Landmarks in Montreal National Historic Sites in Quebec Roman Catholic churches completed in 1919 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Canada Buildings and structures in Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie Roman Catholic churches on the National Historic Sites of Canada register Romanesque Revival church buildings in Canada 1910s in Montreal 1919 establishments in Quebec