The year: 1867. While in Canada, people were busy creating… Canada, in Montreal, at the studio of artist Tomasso Carli, they were busy creating the many superb plaster statues that today adorn the choir and side altars of La Nativité church.
Interestingly, much like fund-raising today, these statues were made possible by generous donors. Their names, engraved on the various works, can still be seen more than 150 years later.
Another interesting fact: the statue of Mary above that of St. Joseph, at the very top, is made of papier-mâché and weighs just 10 pounds (about 4 kilos). The impressive result suggests that this was not a gift from a kindergarten…