Saint Joseph's Oratory
Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal crowns the western slope of Mount Royal, its great copper dome, one of the largest in the world, visible across Montreal. The shrine grew from the devotion of Brother Andre Bessette, a humble Holy Cross porter credited with miraculous healings, who began with a modest chapel in 1904. The vast Italian Renaissance basilica around it was built over decades and completed in 1967.
The largest church in Canada, the oratory rises in tiers up the hillside, approached by a long flight of stairs that pilgrims still climb on their knees in prayer. Inside, the soaring basilica, a votive chapel filled with flickering candles and discarded crutches, and the tomb of Saint Andre, canonized in 2010, draw the faithful seeking intercession and healing.
A national shrine and place of pilgrimage, Saint Joseph's Oratory welcomes around two million visitors and pilgrims each year. They come for Mass, for the organ and choral concerts, for the gardens depicting the Way of the Cross, and for the sweeping view over the city from its terraces.
- Annual visitors
- ≈ 2,000,000
- Location
- 45.4917, -73.6167
- Local time
- 18:35 (America/Toronto)
🕘 Visiting hours
| Mon–Sun | 06:30–21:00 |
Shrine open daily 06:30-21:00 per official site; doors close 10 min before. Museum has shorter hours (approx. 10:00-16:30).
✨ Saints & blessed venerated here
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Saint Joseph Saint
Patron of the Oratory; Carrara marble statue behind the Crypt Church altar plus the Votive Chapel statue.
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Saint André Bessette (Brother André) Saint
Founder; his tomb is in the Votive Chapel and his heart relic is enshrined on the basilica's 6th level.
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Blessed Basile-Antoine Moreau Blessed
Founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross; his bust is in the Crypt Church's Chapel of the Sacred Heart.
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Blessed Marie-Léonie Paradis Blessed
Holy Cross foundress; her statue stands in the Crypt Church's Chapel of St. Thérèse.
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Saint Thérèse of Lisieux Saint
Has a dedicated side chapel in the Crypt Church with a stained-glass window.
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Saint Anne Saint
Has a dedicated side chapel in the Crypt Church with a Nativity stained-glass window.
Care & donations
Congregation of Holy Cross
Accepts donations and offerings to support the shrine
Official website →The candle wall
152 candles burning now · 186 places
18:35
Tap an empty holder to light your own candle · €2.00 · hover a flame to see its intention