CANADA: ST. JOSEPH'S ORATORY AT MONTREAL

ST. JOSEPH'S ORATORY, MONTREAL, CANADA 

By Henry Libo-on, Blogger at Touristang Pobre

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The inside of St. Joseph's Oratory.  
Source: commons.wikimedia.org or images.search.yahoo.com
I took a photo of the altar but I cannot find it now, so I used this photo from Commons Wikimedia. 
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On a Sunday morning, we decided to go to St. Joseph's Oratory at 3800 Queen Mary Road, Montreal, Quebec, H3V 1H6. 

It has been my dream to visit one church in every place that I visit so that I can have a peaceful and prayerful moment in silence. The St. Joseph's Oratory is just one popular church in Canada that is worth visiting.  It is so wide inside that can accommodate a thousand faithful. This Sunday's Mass, the Celebrant-Priest said it in French which made it difficult for me to understand.  Anyway, I just silently said my prayers for my good health as well as the good health of my family.  We are like Pilgrims at this time considering that we have traveled far to cross the Border and be here in the Church. After saying a Prayer, it is time to explore the interior and the surroundings of the Church. 

Saint Joseph's Oratory is considered The National Historic Site of Canada. 

It is also known as Canada's Largest Church and one of the churches in Canada with the biggest dome.  It is also a Basilica Minore. According to the website www.stspeterandpaulbasilica.com  "A Minor, or lesser, basilicas are significant churches in Rome and elsewhere in the world that meet certain criteria and are given special ecclesiastical privileges. Minor basilicas are traditionally named because of their antiquity, dignity, historical value, architectural and artistic worth, and/or significance as centers of worship. A basilica must “stand out as a center of active and pastoral liturgy,” according to the 1989 Vatican document Domus ecclesiae."

In 1904, Saint Andre Bessette, C.S.C. began the construction of the church on the slope of Mont-Royal.  The architect who helped build the church was Father Bellot who was an architect himself. The Architectural Type is Oratory, Domed Basilica and the Architectural Style is Italian Renaissance.  It was mostly built of Canadian Granite and Copper. It was designated in 2004.  (Wikipedia).

The back of the church is viewed from the roadside of the housing area.  We parked our van at the back of the church where the residential area is located.  We had to walk for about five (5) minutes then go down a few steps towards the back door of the church. The GPS pointed to this location and so here we are.  I, later on, found out that the best place to park a car is in front of the church, shown here in the third picture from this sentence.  

  Hundreds of tourists visit it every day.  It is listed as among the 10 places to visit in Montreal, Canada.  

 Photos by Henry Libo-on 

The facade of the church. (Both photos by Moi.)

Just a souvenir picture.  The scorching sun can be felt by how this picture looks. 

Photo Credits to TripAdvisor. 

This is how St. Joseph's Oratory looks like from the distance.  Since our car was parked at the back of this Minore Basilica, I did not walk to this point.  I just borrowed a photo from TripAdvisor where I am also one of the Reviewers.  Thanks, TripAdvisor for this photo. 

So, once you are in Montreal, reserve a time to visit this church.  It is located within the tourist destination area of Montreal.  Nearby, you can visit the Old Port, the Old Town with the Bars and Restaurants and Shops, the 1976 Olympic Stadium, the Mount Royal Summit, and the Park. 

Another view of the church from a photo taken by www.Hicker.Photo.com and pinterest.com. 

Thanks. 

How To Get There?

To go there, just enter the address to your GPS - 3800 Queen Mary Road, Montreal, Quebec, H3V  1H6.

Enjoy your tour.

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Touristang Pobre acknowledges the sources of the last two pictures as coming from TripAdvisor and www.hickerphoto.com.  Thank you. 

Updated on March 4, 2019.

Reviewed on April 21, 2021.