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Montreal Notre-Dame Basilica 
The Notre-Dame Basilica began as a wooden chapel established by the Jesuits in 1642. This was to become the parish church of Notre-Dame which was built on the site in 1672. In 1683 a stone church was built which catered for the neighbourhood and served as the first cathedral of the Diocese of Montreal from 1821 to 1822. By 1824 the congregation had outgrown the church, and James O'Donnell, an Irish-American Anglican from New York City, was commissioned to design a new building, which was to be capable of accommodating a congregation of up to 10,000 people. Initial construction of the new church took place between 1824 and 1829 with the cornerstone being laid at Place d'Armes on September 1, 1824. O'Donnell was a proponent of the Gothic Revival architectural movement, and designed the church in that style. It was intended to build a terrace on the exterior of the church, but this was never completed due to the project running out of money. The sanctuary was finished in 1830, which was when O’Donnell died of pneumonia. On his deathbed O’Donnell converted to Roman Catholicism and was therefore buried in the crypt. Due to O’Donnell exceeding the budget the church was completed without the towers or internal décor. These were to be completed following O'Donnell's death, by John Ostell, an English-born architect, who completed the two towers according to O'Donnell's original plans. The first tower was completed in 1841; the second in 1843. O'Donnell designed the towers to be traditionally Gothic and intended for them to be seen from any point in the city. Both towers have bells, which were cast in John Dodd Ward’s Eagle Foundry. The West Tower (La Persévérance), has a bourdon bell nicknamed Jean-Baptiste cast in 1848 and which weighs 10,900 kg and is tolled only on special occasions such as funerals and great church festivals. The East Tower (La Temperance), houses a ten-bell carillon cast in May, 1842. Upon completion, the church was the largest in North America, and remained so for over fifty years. The facade of the church was completed in 1865, and included three statues by French sculptor Henri Bouriché: Saint-Joseph, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Jean-Baptiste. Due to its historical and religious significance, the church was raised to the status of a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II on April 21, 1982. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1989 to acknowledged its role in preserving the history of Montreal and Canada. Standing 200 ft (60m) high, it is 259 ft (79 m) in length and 151 ft (46 m) wide, the basilica is approached from the Place d'Armes. In front of the basilica is the monument honouring Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve who was a French military officer and founder of Montreal. On entering the Basilica it is noted that the interior is larger than the average church, with its double aisles on each side of the nave.  The interior of the church is considered one of the most dramatic church interiors in the world and regarded as a masterpiece of Gothic Revival architecture. The vaults are coloured deep blue and decorated with golden stars, with the remainder of the sanctuary and the area around the altar, being decorated in blues, azures, reds, purples, silver, and gold. It is filled with hundreds of intricate wooden carvings and several religious statues.  Over the years, the original decorations were gradually replaced. although a few cherished relics endured. Six paintings from the previous decor and a crucifix attributed to Paul Jourdain né Labrosse can be found on the east wall of the Basilica. Because of the splendor and grand scale of the church, a more intimate chapel, Chapelle du Sacré-Cœur (Chapel of the Sacred Heart), was built behind it, along with some offices and a sacristy, which is also known as a vestry or preparation room. It was completed in 1888. The Sacré-Cœur Chapel was destroyed by arson on December 8, 1978. It was rebuilt with the first two levels reproduced from old drawings and photographs, with modern vaulting and reredos (is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. and an immense bronze altarpiece by Quebec sculptor Charles Daudelin. Paintings, sculptures and stained-glass windows illustrate biblical passages as well as 350 years of parish history. Unusual for a church, the stained glass windows along the walls of the sanctuary do not depict biblical scenes, but rather scenes from the religious history of Montreal.  In 1929, to mark the centennial celebrations of Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal, Pastor Olivier Maurault embarked on a project to adorn the basilica with new stained glass windows. He chose to depict life in the days of Ville-Marie on the west side and the religious lives of famous parishioners on the east. These intricate stained glass windows were designed by Quebec artist Jean-Baptiste Lagacé and crafted in the workshop of Francis Chigot in Limoges, France. The altar, was also designed in the Neo-Gothic style, and the ornate columns were inspired by Byzantine decor. The altarpiece shows the Last Supper intricately carved in wood at its base. At the centre of the altar, is the Crucifixion, showing the Virgin Mary and St. John flanking the cross, and Mary Magdalene kneeling at the feet of Christ. Around the Crucifixion, four Old Testament scenes herald the significance of the cross and the Mass: Moses before the Ark of the Covenant, high priest Aaron offering a lamb, the sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham, and Melchizedek’s offering of bread and wine.  The pulpit, known as the Pulpit of Truth, symbolizes the components of Christian faith but was originally a platform from which sermons were delivered. Its base is adorned with the carved figures of two Old Testament prophets, Ezekiel and Jeremiah. Above them, statues of saints, and also Jesus, St. Peter, and St. Paul, shown on the guardrail. A dove, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, hovers beneath the sounding board, accompanied by a radiant triangle inscribed with the name of God in Hebrew.  To the rear over the entrance is the organ which comes from Samuel Russell Warren who constructed it in 1858. In 1886, Canadian organ building company Casavant Frères began constructing a new 32-foot pipe organ at the church, completing it in 1891. It was notably the first organ with adjustable-combination pedals to be operated by electricity. On its 100th anniversary it underwent restoration that brought its total number of pipes to 7,000 ranging from 6 millimeters long. It comprises of four keyboards, 99 stops using electromagnetic action and an adjustable combination system, and a pedal board.  Around the interior are a number of altar with beautiful paintings and fittings.   Various important events continue to take place in the basilica: national funerals, such as those of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, of hockey star Maurice Richard, and of renowned artists like Gilles Carle and Claude Léveillée. International singing star Céline Dion, who is a native of Quebec, was married in the basilica. Thanks to the exceptional acoustics of this church, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra occasionally performs concerts there, as well as other singers and musicians. Visit Official Website
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All Photographs were taken by and are copyright of Ron Gatepain
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