Oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal
The Oratory of St. Joseph in Montreal is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and the largest church in Canada. The Oratory is a minor basilica and a pilgrimage site for Canadian Catholics. Approximately two million people visit St. Joseph’s Oratory each year, and its auditorium can accommodate 10,000 parishioners at a time. There are 278 steps leading up to the entrance of the church, which pilgrims climb on their knees. The building also has a museum of monk Andre and a museum of the Oratory. There is a beautiful garden around the temple. The dome of the basilica was created between 1937 and 1939 by Benedictine Father Paul Bello, an architect, and was the third largest dome of this type in the world (after the Basilica of Our Lady of Yamoussoukro in Côte d’Ivoire and St. Peter’s Church in Rome). Construction of the church was begun in 1904 by Brother André Bessette. St. Joseph’s Oratory is listed as a historical monument in Canada.
