Saint Joseph's Oratory

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Basic information
Oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal Saint Joseph's Oratory

Location	Montreal, Canada
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic
District	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montreal
Ecclesiastical status	Basilica
Leadership	Father Claude Grou
Website	[1]
Architectural description
Architect/s	Dalbé Viau and Alphonse Venne
Architectual type	Oratory, domed basilica
Architectual style	Italian renaissance
Direction of facade	NNW
Year completed	1967
Construction cost	$2.3 Million (CAD)
Specifications
Capacity	10,000 / 3000 sitting
Length	105 m
Width	65 m
Width (nave)	37 m
Height (max)	129 m
Dome/s	one (1)
Dome height (outer)	97 m (from nave floor)
Dome dia. (outer)	39 m
Dome dia. (inner)	26 m
Minerat/s	none
Minerat height	NA
Spire/s	none
Spire height	NA
Materials	Canadian granite, copper

Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal, (French: Oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal), is a Roman Catholic basilica on the northern slope of Mount Royal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Interior

In 1904, André Besette (Alfred Bessette) began the construction of a small chapel on the side of the mountain near Notre Dame College. Soon, it became much too small. Even though it was enlarged, in 1917, a church was built, called the crypt, with a seating capacity of 1,000. In 1924, the construction of the basilica was inaugurated; it was finally completed in 1967. The Oratory's dome is the second-largest of its kind in the world after Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, and the church is the largest in Canada.

The basilica is dedicated to Joseph of Nazareth, to whom Brother André credited all his reported miracles. These were mostly related to some kind of healing power, and many pilgrims (handicapped, blind, ill, etc.) poured into his Basilica, including numerous Protestants. On display in the basilica is a wall covered with thousands of crutches from those who came to the basilica and were healed. Pope John Paul II recognized the authenticity of the miracles and beatified Brother André in 1982.

A reliquary in the church museum contains Brother André's heart, which he requested as a protection for the basilica. More than 2 million visitors and pilgrims visit the Oratory every year. It is located at 3800, Queen Mary Road, at Côte-des-Neiges (Côte-des-Neiges metro station).

The original chapel built by Brother André

On October 19th, 2004, the Oratory held its centennial. All the bells of all the churches on the island of Montreal were supposed to ring at 9:00 a.m.. Unfortunately, not everyone heard the sound because not all the churches participated. At 9:05 a.m., the basilica rang its bell in response and celebration.

1 The Oratory in popular culture
2 See also
3 Photos
4 External links

[edit] The Oratory in popular culture

The 1989 movie Jésus de Montréal uses the Oratory as its principal backdrop.

[edit] See also

List of basilicas in Canada
Montreal's other basilicas:

[edit] Photos

[edit] External links

Montreal landmarks
Buildings	Biodome \| Biosphère \| Bell Centre \| Canadian Centre for Architecture \| Montreal Casino \| Complexe Desjardins \| Montreal Forum \| Grande Bibliothèque du Québec \| Habitat '67 \| Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral \| McCord Museum \| Montreal Science Centre \| Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica \| Olympic Stadium \| Palais des congrès de Montréal \| Place des Arts \| Place Ville-Marie \| Redpath Museum \| Saint Joseph's Oratory \| Tour de la Bourse \| Underground City \| World Trade Centre Montreal
Neighbourhoods	Chinatown \| Old Montreal \| Old Port \| Quartier international de Montréal
Nature and Parks	Jardin botanique de Montréal \| Mount Royal
Islands	Île Bizard \| Island of Montreal \| Île Notre-Dame \| Nuns' Island \| Saint Helen's Island
Transportation	Montréal-Mirabel International Airport \| Montreal Metro \| Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport \| Windsor Station \| Central Station