Building History

St. Jean Baptiste is an imposing stone cathedral built in the Byzantine Romanesque Revival style between 1889 and 1896. Based on a Byzantine basilica plan, it has a gable roof supported by corner pylons which flank a triple entrance portal. This church was designed by Patrick W. Ford, a Boston architect who also designed the Church of the Sacred Heart in Worcester and St. James' Church in Haverhill.

Father Andre-Marie Garin, an Oblate of Mary Immaculate from France and a well-known member of the French-Canadian community, was instrumental in getting this church built in the neighborhood known as Little Canada. Construction for this church began in in 1889, and in 1890 the lower church was completed and dedicated for worship.

There is a statue of Father Garin in front of the church that was erected in 1896, one year after his death. The sculptor, Louis-Philippe Hebert, was a major figure in Canadian art. In 1896 the upper church was dedicated and in 1912 a devastating fire broke out in the church, which led to the redesign of the church interior by architect Henry Rourke. The stained glass windows date to the 1912 rebuilding of the church interior. The church was placed under the patronage of St. Jean Baptiste in 1947.

In 1993 the St. Jean Baptiste Parish was terminated, and the following year the church opened as the Nuestra Senora del Carmen Church, which served the Latino population of Lowell.

Preservation and Reuse

Please stay tuned for updates. We look forward to your support as we strive to make it happen!