Saint Joseph's Oratory

Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal Oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal
Basic information
Location	Montreal, Quebec
Geographic coordinates	45°29′30″N 73°37′00″W / 45.491667°N 73.616667°W / 45.491667; -73.616667
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
District	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montreal
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Basilica
Leadership	Father Claude Grou
Website	http://www.saint-joseph.org/
Architectural description
Architect(s)	Dalbé Viau, Alphonse Venne, Lucien Parent and Dom Paul Bellot
Architectural type	Oratory, domed basilica
Architectural style	Italian renaissance
Direction of façade	NNW
Completed	1967
Construction cost	$2.3 Million (CAD)
Specifications
Capacity	10,000 / 2,400 sitting
Length	105 metres (344 ft)
Width	65 metres (213 ft)
Width (nave)	37 metres (121 ft)
Height (max)	129 metres (423 ft)
Dome(s)	one (1)
Dome height (outer)	97 metres (318 ft) (from nave floor)
Dome height (inner)	60 metres (200 ft) (from nave floor)
Dome dia. (outer)	39 metres (128 ft)
Dome dia. (inner)	26 metres (85 ft)
Minaret(s)	none
Minaret height	NA
Spire(s)	none
Spire height	NA
Materials	Canadian granite, copper
National Historic Site of Canada
Official name: Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal National Historic Site of Canada
Designated:	2004

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

History

In 1904, Saint André Bessette, CSC, began the construction of St. Joseph, a small chapel on the slopes of Mont Royal near Notre Dame College. ^[1] Soon the growing number of visitors made it too small. Even though it was enlarged, a larger church was needed and in 1917 one was completed - it is called the Crypt, and has a seating capacity of 1,000. In 1924, the construction of the basilica of Saint Joseph's Oratory was inaugurated; it was finally completed in 1967. ^[2]The Oratory's dome is the third-largest of its kind in the world after the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro in the Ivory Coast and Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, and the church is the largest in Canada.

The basilica is dedicated to Saint Joseph, 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 allegedly healed. Pope John Paul II deemed the miracles to be authentic and beatified Brother André in 1982. In October 2010 Pope Benedict XVI canonized the saint.

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 (near to Côte-des-Neiges metro station).

Composer Émilien Allard notably served as the church's carillonneur from 1955-1975. For RCA Victor he released the LP album Carols at the Carillon of Saint Joseph's Oratory for which he wrote the arrangements.^[3]

Modern developments

On October 19, 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., though not all churches participated. At 9:05 a.m., the basilica rang its bell in response and celebration.

In 2004, the Oratory was designated a National Historic Site of Canada on the occasion of its 100th anniversary.^[4][5]

In popular culture

The 1989 movie Jésus de Montréal uses the Oratory as its principal backdrop. A photograph of the Oratory is used for the picture representing Montreal in the Monopoly: Here and Now: The World Edition game.

Gallery

• 

  The Oratory covered in snow, February 2010

• 

  Inside the Oratory

• 

  The crypt church

• 

  The Oratory at night

• 

  Close up of the Oratory at Sunset

• 

  Interior of the Basilica

• 

  A view of the Oratory from Bois Franc, roughly 5 miles away.

See also

• List of basilicas in Canada
• Montreal's other basilicas:
  • Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral
  • Notre-Dame Basilica
  • Saint Patrick's Basilica
• Other buildings named Saint Joseph's

References

1. ^ Pound, Richard W. (2005). 'Fitzhenry and Whiteside Book of Canadian Facts and Dates'. Fitzhenry and Whiteside. 
2. ^ Pound, Richard W. (2005). 'Fitzhenry and Whiteside Book of Canadian Facts and Dates'. Fitzhenry and Whiteside. 
3. ^ "La vie et la mort d'un carillonneur", Musique périodique, vol 1, Jan-Feb 1977
4. ^ "The Government of Canada Commemorates the National Historic Significance of Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal". News Release (Parks Canada). 2005-09-19. http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Parks-Canada-555699.html. Retrieved 2009-01-08. 
5. ^ Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal National Historic Site of Canada. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved August 17, 2011.

External links

• Oratoire Saint-Joseph
• Photos of Oratory Saint-Joseph
• CBC Digital Archives - The Miracle on Mount Royal: 100 Years of St. Joseph's Oratory
• Maps, photos and info on Saint Joseph's Oratory
• Saint Joseph's Oratory: Photo Gallery by The Catholic Photographer
• [1] Les Merveilles de L'Oratoire: L'Oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal, 1904-2004 By Denise Robillard

Coordinates: 45°29′30″N 73°37′00″W / 45.491667°N 73.616667°W / 45.491667; -73.616667