Attraction Montreal — Côte-des-Neiges, Canada

Saint Joseph's Oratory: Canada's Largest Church, Level by Level

Up the pilgrims' stairs and through the shrine a doorkeeper built: Brother André's first chapel, the candlelit Votive Chapel and his tomb, the crypt church, the great Art Deco basilica under the dome and the Way of the Cross garden on the mountainside.

Duration: 1 day
Distance: 1.5 km
Difficulty: Easy
Best season: Year-round; May–October for the gardens and the long summer sunsets

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The green copper dome of Saint Joseph’s Oratory sits high on the western shoulder of Mount Royal and can be seen across much of the west of the city. It is the largest church in Canada, with one of the largest church domes in the world: 39 metres across outside and rising 97 metres above the floor of the nave. It is also the highest building in Montreal, rising more than 30 metres above the summit of Mount Royal itself and the only building allowed past the city’s height limit. It draws more than two million visitors a year, and what makes it moving rather than just enormous is the story of how it came to be.

It began in 1904 as a tiny wooden chapel built by Brother André Bessette, a frail, barely literate lay brother who worked for decades as the doorkeeper of a boys’ college across the road. People came to him in growing numbers asking for his prayers, reports of healings spread, and the donations of ordinary believers slowly built the crypt church, then the basilica, over some sixty years. When he died in 1937, about a million people filed past his coffin. He was canonized in 2010, and the Oratory remains an active pilgrimage shrine as much as a monument. Visit it with that in mind: quiet voices, covered shoulders, and the sense that for many people here this is not sightseeing.

Getting there. Take the blue line to Côte-des-Neiges metro station and walk about 10 minutes along Chemin Queen-Mary to the main entrance. There is paid parking on site. Elevators connect every level from the entrance to the basilica, so you can skip the stairs entirely if you need to.

Permits & tickets. Entry to the shrine, the chapels and the basilica is free; donations are welcome. The museum and guided tours are paid. Hours, tour times and prices change, so check the Oratory’s official site before you go.

Good to know:

A dress code applies throughout: shoulders covered, shorts and skirts to at least mid-thigh, nothing see-through.
Masses run through the day. You are welcome to sit in, but avoid walking around the basilica during a service.
The long outdoor staircase has 283 steps. The central wooden flight is reserved for pilgrims who climb it on their knees; use the side stairs.
Around the summer solstice the setting sun lines up with the steps, and the terrace at the top is one of the best sunset spots on the mountain.

Tips & Insights for this route Planning this route? Read our practical tips before you go — 8 tips. Read the tips

Download waypoints (GPX) Points of interest in walking order — not a trail trace.

Day by day

DayDistanceAscentDescentWalking time

Day 1 Hardest dayFrom the first chapel to the dome

Distance1.5 kmAscentNot recordedDescentNot recordedWalking timeNot recorded

Day 1

From the first chapel to the dome

Main entrance, Chemin Queen-Mary → Garden of the Way of the Cross 1.5 km

Navigate this day Print day

Work upward through the shrine in the order it was built, from Brother André’s wooden chapel to the great basilica, and finish in the Way of the Cross garden.

Segments

The pilgrims' stairs 0.3 km Map

Main entrance, Chemin Queen-Mary → Upper terrace

Long outdoor staircase, with elevators as an alternative

From the forecourt, look up at the full height of the building before you start: the Renaissance Revival front rising in terraces to the dome. The staircase has 283 steps, and its central wooden flight is kept for pilgrims who climb on their knees, which you will often see. Take a side flight, or the elevators inside if stairs are not for you, and stop at the terraces on the way up for the view back over the city. About 15 minutes.
Brother André's original chapel 0.2 km Map

Upper terrace → Original chapel

Paved paths on the hillside

Beside the great church stands the modest chapel where it all began in 1904, built by Brother André and his supporters so he could receive the people who came asking for his prayers. Its small scale, next to the dome above it, tells the whole story of the place better than any plaque. About 15 minutes.

About this place

André Bessette, C.S.C., commonly known as Brother André and since his canonization as Saint André of Montreal, was a lay brother of the Congregation of Holy Cross and a significant figure of the Catholic Church among French Canadians. He is credited with thousands of reported healings associated with his pious devotion to Saint Joseph.
Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain
The Votive Chapel and Brother André's tomb 0.2 km Map

Original chapel → Votive Chapel

Indoor chapel

Go inside to the Votive Chapel, where some 10,000 candles burn and nearly a thousand ex-votos line the walls, including the crutches and canes left by pilgrims who believed they had been healed. Brother André's tomb is here, and his heart is preserved in a reliquary at the Oratory; it was stolen in 1973 and recovered in 1974. This is the emotional centre of the shrine; take your time. About 20 minutes.

About this place

An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or a divinity, given in fulfillment of a vow or in gratitude or devotion. The term is usually restricted to Christian examples.
Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Painting: anonymous, Photo: Andreas Praefcke · Public domain
The Crypt Church 0.1 km Map

Votive Chapel → Crypt Church

Indoor church

The crypt church, holding about 1,000 people, is where daily Masses are most often celebrated and where the community of the Oratory really gathers. It is lower, warmer and more intimate than the basilica above, and a good place simply to sit for a few minutes. About 15 minutes.

About this place

A crypt is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church, above ground within a cemetery's mausoleum or a free-standing outdoor memorial tomb. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics and sometimes cremation urns.
Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Valdavia · CC BY-SA 4.0
The basilica under the dome 0.2 km Map

Crypt Church → Basilica

Indoor basilica, reached by elevator or stairs

Take the elevators up to the basilica, finished inside in 1967. Where the outside is classical, the interior is a sober, soaring Art Deco space, and the dome opens 97 metres above you. Afterwards, step out onto the terrace in front of the basilica for the widest view from the Oratory over the west of Montreal. About 30 minutes.
The Garden of the Way of the Cross 0.5 km Map

Basilica → Garden of the Way of the Cross

Sloping garden paths

Finish outside on the slope of the mountain behind the Oratory, where the Stations of the Cross are set as a series of sculptures along paths through the trees. It is a peaceful half hour whatever your beliefs, and in the warmer months there are guided tours of the garden. About 30 minutes.

About this place

The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows, the Via Crucis or the Via Dolorosa, are any series of fourteen images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. These stations are derived from the imitations of the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem which is a traditional processional route symbolizing the path Jesus walked from the Lions' Gate to Mount Calvary. The objective of the stations is to help the faithful to make a spiritual pilgrimage through contemplation of the Passion of Christ. It has become one of the most popular devotions and the stations can be found in many Western Christian churches, including those in the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and Methodist traditions.
Read more on Wikipedia Photo: medieval · Public domain