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This image illustrates the celebrations surrounding Corpus Christi in Québec City in 1933. A long procession of Catholic children and adults makes its way through the streets. They are all dressed in their finest clothes for the occasion! The origins of this liturgical feast date back to the 13th century, when Pope Urban IV made it an obligatory holy day.
1905 - 1945

Corpus Christi, a time-honoured tradition

Corpus Christi is a Catholic religious holiday celebrated 60 days after Easter. It was a very popular feast day in Québec City in the first half of the 20th century, up until 1960s and the secularization of society during the Quiet Revolution. Also known as the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Day, it commemorates the presence of Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist. On this holy day, local residents decorated their homes and joined in a procession that stopped before altars of repose along the way. Do you have any special memories of Corpus Christi?

Corpus Christi procession

Auteur inconnu This image illustrates the celebrations surrounding Corpus Christi in Québec City in 1933. A long procession of Catholic children and adults makes its way through the streets. They are all dressed in their finest clothes for the occasion! The origins of this liturgical feast date back to the 13th century, when Pope Urban IV made it an obligatory holy day.
Chronoscope What do you notice in the image? (unilingual French for a limited time) Source: Ville de Québec All rights reserved: Ville de Québec - Michel Bédard Fonds - Date: 1933