Adrien Dufresne
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Home and atelier of Dufresne in Beauport |
Adrien Dufresne
was born on June 18, 1904 in Beauport (Quebec)
He began his studies at the Petit Séminaire de Québec, before continuing at the École des Beaux-Arts
de Québec from 1924 to
1930. From 1924 to 1926 it was the American architect
Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue
(1869-1924) who interested him most. He admires the innovative aspect of architecture and especially the logic of its principles. Goodhue's works, such as the churches
of Saint-Vincent-Ferrier and Saint-Barthélémy in New
York, as well as the chapel
of the University of Chicago, seem
to him personal, more modern
in spirit and freer in style.
In
1930 he received a scholarship
from the Quebec government to continue his education in Europe, where he met
Valentine Reyre and Maurice
Storez, both members of the Arche group,
and then the monk and architect Dom Paul Bellot with whom
he had already had contact. He made several trips to Wisques, where Dom Bellot's studio was located, and visited its
churches.
Dufresne was convinced
of this architecture and immediately adopted the basic ideas of this style
developed by Dom Bellot. On Bellot's advice, he began reading Viollet-le-Duc, Auguste Choisy, and Matila Ghyka
to learn the system of proportions. This stay in Europe strengthened ties with Dom Bellot and made him one
of the most important representatives
of Dom Bellotism in Quebec. Dufresne
contributes to the spread of this architectural movement by organizing lectures
by Dom Bellot and by training other students who went on to work with him
in Beauport: Léonce Desgagné
from Saguenay, who from 1932 to
1935 will learn the architectural principles of Dom Bellotism. before he will use them in his region Lac Saint -Jean and Dom Claude-Marie Côté OSB.
Dufresne himself
built ten chapels and churches in Dombellotist style, including those of Sainte-Thérèse-de-l'Enfant-Jésus in Beauport
(1936-1937), Saint-Pascal-Baylon (1946-1949), Notre-Dame-de -la-Paix
(1936-1937), and Saint-Fidèle
(with Antonio Bédard Taillon, 1952-1954), all in
Quebec. He also designed the church of Sainte-Thérèse-de-l'Enfant-Jésus (1949-1951), in Cowansville, and the basilica of Notre-Dame-du-Cap
(1955-1964), in Cap-de-la- Madeleine (Trois-Rivières).
He died in Beauport on March 12, 1983 and is buried in the familygrave
at the church.
His archive is kept in the archives of Laval University (Adrien Dufresne Fund, P218).