Saint Joseph's Oratory, Montreal, Canada


Architect
 Dalbé Viau and Alphonse Venne
Father Paul Bellot
Gilbert Moreau
Gérard Notebaert
Date Built
 Begun in 1924 and completed in 1967
Location
 Westmount Summit
Description
The St Joseph's Oratory sits on the highest point within the city of Montreal.  It is the culmination of more than 40 years of work and the creativity of a series of architects.  It is listed here in the 1920s because this is where its origins lie although it wasn't completed until 1967. 



The building's website says that, "The exterior of the Basilica is designed following the lines of the Italian Renaissance, but the interior is resolutely contemporary. ......


..... Begun in 1924 using plans drawn up by the architects Dalbé Viau and Alphonse Venne, it was still roofless when Brother André died on January 6, 1937. That same year the French Benedictine monk Dom Paul Bellot undertook the completion of the exterior in collaboration with Lucien Parent, a Montreal architect. The interior was finally finished in 1966, following concepts of the Canadian architect Gérard Notebaert. This gigantic construction was built thanks to the efforts of thousands of workers."  The building stands 97 metres high from the floor to the cross on the exterior dome and the overall length is 105 metres.  It is taller than St. Paul's Cathedral in London and Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. 


The building is clad in granite from Lac Mégantic. Inside the seating can accommodate 2028 people.



The grand organ was designed by Rudolf von Beckerath of Germany.



The bronze grillwork was designed by Robert Prévost and fashioned by Jean-Claude Lajeunie.





The Stations of the Cross were sculpted by Roger de Villiers and the liturgical furnishings are the work of the French master Henri Charlier who crafted the altar, the crucifix, and the statues of the twelve apostles.







The 10 stained-glass windows of the nave are the work of Marius Plamondon





Other images from the interior.