page_title: St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica (Toronto)
section_title: Exterior
hierarchical_section_title: St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica (Toronto) / Architectural style / Exterior
caption_attribution_description: Entrance to St. Michael's cathedral
context_page_description: St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto, Canada, and one of the oldest churches in Toronto. It is located at 65 Bond Street in Toronto's Garden District. St. Michael's was designed by William Thomas, designer of eight other churches in the city, and was primarily financed by Irish immigrants who resided in the area. The cathedral has a capacity of 1600.
  St. Michael's Cathedral is a major building of faith in downtown Toronto. It was originally constructed away from the city's centre, but over time the city has grown to encompass it. It was constructed to better serve the growing Roman Catholic population of Toronto. It is a prime example of the English Gothic Revival style of architecture. On September 29, 2016, the feast day of Saint Michael the Archangel, the cathedral was elevated to a minor basilica.
context_section_description: The exterior façade of the church is a cream coloured brick with stone accents. The exterior has a very neutral colour scheme, which contrasts the beauty of the interior. Teal coloured shingles contrast gently with the cream exterior walls. In regards to shape, all of the façades vary considerably. The western façade houses the main entrance and pinnacle tower, and is arguably the most impressive side of the church. It faces Bond Street, with the building set back from the property line to create a small forecourt. The spire reaches a height of 260 feet. Much of the northern façade is hidden by the rectory and St. Michael's Choir School's main building. What little can be seen is spoiled by the protruding fire escape exit. The eastern façade, while not as impressive as the western façade, is, arguably, the most varied. A second school building occupies a site on the west side of Bond Street.  
  Typical characteristics structures of Gothic Architecture include pointed arches called ‘ogivals’, flying buttresses, transverse arms, clerestory windows, pinnacles, and ribbed vaults, many of which are displayed in St. Michaels Cathedral.
  St. Michael's is a good example of a basilica, a large, rectilinear space with a longitudinal axis. The church runs along an east–west axis, with an extruded portion running north–south, but not nearly as big as the main roof axis. The main axis is represented by the sloped roofs meeting together at the exact middle of the church. All axes are either parallel or perpendicular to each other, so the exterior of church has a very linear and symmetrical feel.
caption: Western entrance to St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica.
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