Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal (French: Oratoire Saint-Joseph-du-Mont-Royal) is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and national shrine located at 3800 Queen Mary Road in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood on Mount Royal's Westmount Summit in Montreal, Quebec. It is a National Historic Site of Canada and is Canada's largest church, with one of the largest church domes in the world. Founded in 1904 by Saint André Bessette in honor of his patron saint, Saint Joseph, the Oratory is the product of numerous architects and thousands of workers in a process spanning six decades. With its monumental scale, Renaissance Revival facade, and contrasting Art Deco interior, the Oratory is recognizable not just in Montreal but around the world, attracting more than 2 million visitors and pilgrims to its steps each year.
Credit and thanks to Google Earth Studio for this amazing aerial footage.
Credit and thanks to Google Earth Studio for this amazing aerial footage.
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00:00Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal, French.
00:07Oratoire Saint-Joseph-du-Mont-Royal, is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and national
00:12shrine located at 3800 Queen Mary Road in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood on Mount
00:17Royal's Westmount Summit in Montreal, Quebec.
00:21It is a National Historic Site of Canada and is Canada's largest church, with one of the
00:25largest church domes in the world.
00:28Founded in 1904 by Saint-André Bissette in honor of his patron saint, Saint Joseph,
00:33the Oratory is the product of numerous architects and thousands of workers in a process spanning
00:37six decades.
00:39With its monumental scale, Renaissance revival façade and contrasting Art Deco interior,
00:44the Oratory is recognizable not just in Montreal but around the world.
00:49Attracting more than 2 million visitors and pilgrims to its steps each year.
00:53The Oratory is the highest building in Montreal, rising more than 30 meters above Mount Royal's
00:59summit.
01:00Allowing it to be seen from many kilometers away, it is one of the few buildings that
01:03violate the height restriction under the Municipal Building Code of Montreal.
01:07Since 2018, the dome and lantern atop the Oratory have undergone a series of renovations expected
01:13to be completed in 2024 by architecture firms Atelier Tag and Architecture 49.
01:19The C$80 million project will create safe access to the lantern which will allow for
01:23an unprecedented 360-degree view over the mountain of the city.
01:28Saint-André Bissette, C.S.C., 1845-1937.
01:33More commonly known as Brother André, was a monk and a member of the Congregation of
01:37Holy Cross who became internationally renowned as a miracle healer.
01:41Due to his reputation, in 1904 he was given funding to construct a small chapel on Mount
01:46Royal across from Notre Dame College to operate out of.
01:50The small, Gothic Revival-style chapel expanded four times over the next decade with the growing
01:55of Brother André's fame and the Congregation decided to fulfill his request to build a
01:59basilica in his patron, St. St. Joseph's Honor.
02:03The original chapel, measuring 4.5 meters by 5.5 meters still stands today, though it
02:09has since been relocated about a hundred meters away to make room for the massive basilica
02:13that stands today.
02:15André Bissette, C.S.C., commonly known as Brother André.
02:19The first phase of the basilica's construction involved architects Dalbé Viau, 1881-1938,
02:26and Alphonse Venn, 1875-1934, who had previously done work for the Congregation.
02:32From 1914 to 1916, Viau and Venn constructed the crypt church, with seating for 1,000,
02:39which still stands today and forms the base of the basilica where the massive collection
02:42of stairs ends.
02:44Between 1924 and 1927, the crypt and building up until the roof were completed in the Renaissance
02:50Revival style.
02:52After the Great Depression in 1937, Dom Paul Bellet, 1876-1944, born in France, was hired
03:00to work after the death of Venn, however, he was required to work through Canadian Lucien
03:04Parent, 1893-1956, due to not being a registered architect in Quebec.
03:10He redesigned Viau and Venn's roof and dome entirely, making the dome significantly larger
03:15and modeling it to resemble the dome of Florence Cathedral.
03:18The construction of his large oratory dome lasted four years and was completed in 1941
03:24after involving thousands of workers.
03:26Today, the basilica enshrines a venerated statue of Saint Joseph, currently located
03:31within the oil-burning chapel that was authorized a canonical coronation by Pope Pius X on 19
03:37March 1910 via Cardinal Vincenzo Vanatelli.
03:40Interior of the crypt church.
03:42Showing the barrel vaulting of its ceiling.
03:44The basilica, as it stands today, comprises many parts, including the crypt church, located
03:50underneath the basilica, the votive chapel.
03:53Between the crypt and the rock of Mount Royal, the shrine, which encompasses the nave, apse
03:57and transept, and the dome, which is the largest church dome in Canada and the third largest
04:02in the world.
04:03That is all.
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