Church of the Gesù (Montreal)
| Church of the Gesù | |
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| Église du Gesù | |
Front entrance
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 Church of the Gesù
Location in Montreal
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| Coordinates: 45°30′19″N 73°33′59″W / 45.50528°N 73.56639°W | |
| Location | 1202, rue de Bleury Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3B 3J3 |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
| History | |
| Founder(s) | Society of Jesus |
| Dedication | Sacred Heart |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Patrick Keely |
| Style | Baroque Revival architecture |
| Groundbreaking | 1864 |
| Completed | July 10, 1865 |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Archdiocese of Montreal |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Christian Lépine |
The Church of the Gesù (French: Église du Gesù) is a Roman Catholic Church in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at 1202 Bleury Street in the borough of Ville-Marie. It was adjacent to the Collège Sainte-Marie.
Ignace Bourget, the second bishop of Montreal, wanted the churches of his diocese to replicate the architecture of Roman churches. This was reflected in the design of Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral after St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City.
Similarly, the Church of the Gesù was based on the Church of the Gesù in Rome. Construction began in 1864, and the church opened on July 10, 1865. The Gesù witnessed the first "electric candle " lit in Canada in 1878.
The Jesuit-run Collège Sainte-Marie was built south of the church. It was demolished in 1975, but the Gesù was preserved and restored in 1983.
Experienced Irish-American architect Patrick Keely developed plans that drew heavily on the Church of the Gesù in Rome, a grand Roman Baroque church in which Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, is buried. The Church of the Gesù in Montreal retained the Italian name of Jesus, found in its Roman counterpart.
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