Saint Brigid's Centre for the Arts

About

Arts and culture centre. Home to the National Irish Canadian Cultural Centre.

Story

Saint Brigid’s Centre for the Arts is a multidisciplinary venue for all kinds of artistic, cultural and social events.The centre is housed in the magnificent spaces of St Brigid’s Church, a former Irish Catholic church built in 1890.

Under the direction of architect J. R. Bowes, the building was largely constructed by the hands of Irish immigrants who came to Ottawa to assist in the building of the Rideau Canal. The Lowertown area, where the church is located, consisted mostly of Irish and French immigrants, whose greatest commonality was their Catholic faith. Saint Brigid’s provided a home to these parishioners until 2007 when the church was deconsecrated and made available for private purchase.

In honour of the church’s Irish history, members of Ottawa’s Irish community purchased the church to be converted into Saint Brigid’s Centre for the Arts, home of the National Irish Canadian Cultural Centre. This space is now used for various social and cultural events, including a variety of Irish cultural programming, musical concerts, art exhibitions, fundraisers, conferences and private functions.

St Brigid’s is also a heritage building, as designated by the province of Ontario in 1982. The building holds all the original religious artworks and architectural elements. It features limestone walls on the exterior, and interior in the basement. The main church space is constructed completely of wood with high vaulted ceilings, creating some of the best acoustics in the city.

Saint Brigid’s Centre for the Arts has hosted and collaborated with some of Ottawa’s finest cultural organizations, including the University of Ottawa, Carleton University, the Ottawa Chamber Music Society’s annual festival - Chamberfest, the Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy, the School of Photographic Arts: Ottawa and Festival X, the Ottawa Storyteller’s Festival, National Capital Network of Sculptors, the Ottawa Watercolour Society, Galerie SAW Gallery, Guerilla Magazine, and many more.

Saint Brigid’s recently expanded by opening The Rectory Art House – a small house of 8 artist studios, as well as the offices for Saint Brigid’s Centre and the Ottawa Storytellers. The Rectory Art House is another vein through which Saint Brigid’s strives to aid the city of Ottawa in developing an artistic and cultural identity.