Sankt-Joseph-Oratorium, Bruder André & Montreals Religiöses Erbe
Das Sankt-Joseph-Oratorium des Mont-Royal — die römisch-katholische Basilika an der Nordwestflanke des Mont-Royal, die größte Kirche Kanadas und die größte dem heiligen Josef gewidmete Kirche der Welt.
- 1
Saint Joseph's Oratory — Largest Church in Canada
Saint Joseph's Oratory (3800 Queen Mary Road, Mont Royal, 1924–1967) is the largest church in Canada and the second-largest dome in North America (after the US Capitol) — the dome (97m above the mountain) is visible from most of Montreal; Brother André (Alfred Bessette, 1845–1937, canonized 2010) built a succession of chapels on Mont Royal before the current Basilica; his heart is displayed in a reliquary in the Oratory; the Stations of the Cross garden (outdoor, year-round) attracts pilgrims.
- 2
Brother André's Healing Ministry — 10,000 Crutches on the Wall
Brother André (the doorkeeper of Collège Notre-Dame) is credited with miraculous healings through his intercession to Saint Joseph — the original chapel's walls (now the first chapel, preserved within the Oratory complex) are covered with crutches, canes, and braces left by visitors who claimed to have been healed; the votive chapel processes 2 million pilgrims per year; during the COVID pandemic, the chapel was used as a morgue overflow facility, adding a dramatic contrast to its healing tradition.
- 3
McGill University and the Anglican Cathedral
McGill University (845 Sherbrooke Ouest, founded 1821 by James McGill bequest, 40,000 students) is Canada's oldest university and consistently ranks in the world's top 50 — the campus (on former Crown land between Sherbrooke and Avenue des Pins) contains 80+ buildings including the Redpath Museum (1882, natural history, free), the Schulich School of Music, and the campus as a green oasis within the downtown grid; the adjacent Christ Church Cathedral (1859) is the cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
- 4
Notre-Dame Basilica — Lumen Experience and Céline Dion's Wedding
Notre-Dame Basilica (110 Notre-Dame Ouest, Vieux-Montréal, 1829, Gothic Revival, James O'Donnell architect) is the most visited building in Montreal (1 million+ visitors/year) — Céline Dion married René Angélil here in 1994; the interior (ultramarine blue vault with gold stars, carved wood tribune, 7,000-pipe Casavant organ) is the finest religious interior in Canada; AURA Basilique Notre-Dame (immersive light-and-music show, every evening, $40) is the most popular tourist experience in Montreal.
- 5
Plateau-Mont-Royal — Montreal's Bohemian Neighbourhood
Plateau-Mont-Royal (north of the downtown core, east of Mont Royal) is the neighbourhood that defines Anglophone visitors' idea of 'real Montreal' — multicoloured outdoor staircases (spiral or straight external staircases in wood, wrought iron, or steel, an energy-saving architectural tradition unique to Montreal), dépanneurs (corner stores open late, selling beer and wine), and affordable French restaurants dense in Mont Royal Ave and Duluth Ave; poet Leonard Cohen lived here; writer Mordecai Richler set his novels here.
- 6
Mont Royal Park — Frederick Law Olmsted's Montreal
Mont Royal Park (the mountain at the city's centre, 190m, Frederick Law Olmsted design 1876 — Olmsted's last major public park commission before his mental decline) is Montreal's most beloved public space — the Chalet du Mont Royal (summit building, 1931, Art Deco, free admission) is the stage for winter ski shows and summer concerts with the city panorama behind; the Lac des Castors (Beaver Lake, artificial, 1958) freezes in winter for public skating; the 3-hour circuit walk connects all the park's major elements.