“The Most Beautiful Church in North America”

The original church was designed by G. A. Monette (1870–1941) and built from 1901 to 1903. In the shape of a Greek cross, the church was about a third of the size of the current nave. In 1920–1921, it was enlarged to its current size and shape. The new architectural plans were also drawn by G. A. Monette, and the parish took advantage of the enlargement project to make the church fireproof by covering the wood with stone.

In 1928, Nincheri received the contract to decorate the church. He was in charge of every decorative aspect of the building, from making windows and frescoes, to designing doors, the high altar, the sculptures. After Madonna della Difesa, for which he was also the architect, this was his largest and most complete decorative project.

The first stage of the project (1928–1931) consisted in covering the wooden floors with concrete and marble to reduce the risk of fires. Then, from 1931 to 1933, the walls and pillars were covered with marble and Savonnières stone from France. It was only in 1933 that Nincheri could start the actual decoration work, which would last until 1959.

The volume of decoration in the church could easily overwhelm viewers, but the colours are so light and the various elements are so cohesive that peace washes over you as you step into the nave. Saint-Léon-de-Westmount is one of the few churches where Nincheri was able to create a harmonious whole by using the full range of his skills: architecture, fresco painting, stained-glass windows and furniture design.

Below is a list of the decorative works made or designed by Nincheri. These will be analyzed in greater details in separate articles.

[1] Sylvana Micillo Villata, Guido Nincheri, maître verrier : les vitraux des églises montréalaises. Montréal: Société de Diffusion du Patrimoine Artistique et Culturel des Italo-Canadiens, 1995, p. 47.

[2] This list comes from Ian S. Hoskinson’s Premilinary Study for the Conservation of the Frescoes of Guido Nincheri in the Church of Saint-Léon-de-Westmount, National Historic Site of Canada, August 2013, p.8.

[3] Ibidem.

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Further Reading

Pierre A. Maltais, Saint-Léon de Westmount (1901-2001). Translated by Patricia S. Curran. Montreal: Paroisse Saint-Léon de Westmount, 1999.

Sylvana Micillo Villata, Guido Nincheri, maître verrier : les vitraux des églises montréalaises. Montréal: Société de Diffusion du Patrimoine Artistique et Culturel des Italo-Canadiens, 1995.

Ian S. Hoskinson’s Premilinary Study for the Conservation of the Frescoes of Guido Nincheri in the Church of Saint-Léon-de-Westmount, National Historic Site of Canada, August 2013.