Basilique Notre-Dame

The grand dame of Montréal’s ecclesiastical treasures, this basilica is a must-see when exploring the city. The looming neo-Gothic church can hold up to 3000 worshippers and houses a collection of finely crafted artworks, including an elaborately carved altarpiece, vibrant stained-glass windows and an intricate pulpit. The Sulpicians had an ever-growing congregation and no one in the soon-to-be Canadian colonies schooled in neo-Gothic architecture. So they commissioned James O’Donnell, a New York architect and Irish Protestant, to design what would be the largest church north of Mexico. Such was O’Donnell’s dedication to the project that he converted to Catholicism so he could have his funeral in the basilica. Today, he’s buried in the basement under the gift shop. Opened in 1829, the basilica has a spectacular interior with a forest of ornate wood pillars and carvings made entirely by hand (and constructed without the aid of a single nail). Gilt stars shine from the ceiling vaults and the altar is backlit in evening-sky blues. The massive Casavant organ with 5772 pipes provides the powerful anthem at the famous Christmas concerts; the church bell, the Gros Bourdon, is the largest on the continent. The stained-glass windows, which depict scenes from Montréal’s history rather than the usual biblical stories, were the brainchild of the Sulpicians who wanted to teach the mostly illiterate French Canadians about the founding of the colony. The Chapelle du Sacré Coeur (Sacred Heart Chapel), located behind the main hall, is nicknamed the Wedding Chapel. It’s so popular that couples might have to wait two years to tie the knot here. The curious mix of styles emerged after a 1978 fire, when the chapel was rebuilt with a brass altar with abstract-modern motifs.