Like other churches we visited in Canada, St. Patrick's Basilica in Montreal had construction outside, making it hard to get a good photo of the exterior of the church.
 |
| St. Patrick's Basilica, Montreal |
 |
| Construction at the front entrance to the basilica |
 |
| The side door (how we got in) |
The church from which the basilica originated was the Church of Bonsecours that served the English-speaking Catholic population in 1817. The congregation grew and moved to the Church of the Recollets. Growth continued so that in 1841 they began a fundraising campaign for a new, larger church. The land was bought in 1843. At the time, this was the outskirts of the city, near the homes of the parishioners. Construction was completed in 1847 and the first Mass was celebrated on March 17, the Feast of St. Patrick. On that same day in 1989, the church was raised to its status as a basilica.
The architecture shows the gothic style, with dark, rich colors and lots of ornamentation.
The stained glass windows feature a variety of saints. The pillars in between are 80 feet long and made from single pine trees.
Several side altars are surrounded by statues of all sorts of saints.
The Stations of the Cross are paintings by an Italian artist named Patriglia and are six and half feet by three and a half feet large.
If there weren't enough statues, there are also paintings of saints around the church as well.
At the back of the church (by the closed entrance) are beautifully carved staircases and a large chest for holy water.
The organ is a combination of the original 1852 organ and an organ from St. Anthony's Church which was demolished in 1972. It is in the choir loft above the main entrance.
 |
| Nave |
 |
| Sanctuary |
 |
| Above the main altar |
 |
| Pulpit |
The stained glass windows feature a variety of saints. The pillars in between are 80 feet long and made from single pine trees.
 |
| Stained glass |
 |
| Another section |
 |
| Memorial to those who died in World War I |
 |
| Fancy seats |
Several side altars are surrounded by statues of all sorts of saints.
 |
| Altar of the Annunciation |
 |
| Altar of a Happy Death |
The Stations of the Cross are paintings by an Italian artist named Patriglia and are six and half feet by three and a half feet large.
 |
| First Station: Pilate condemns Jesus |
If there weren't enough statues, there are also paintings of saints around the church as well.
 |
| Good thief St. Dysmas |
At the back of the church (by the closed entrance) are beautifully carved staircases and a large chest for holy water.
 |
| Ornate stairs |
 |
| I haven't seen one of these before |
The organ is a combination of the original 1852 organ and an organ from St. Anthony's Church which was demolished in 1972. It is in the choir loft above the main entrance.
 |
| The organ |
We were very impressed with the church.
No comments:
Post a Comment