St. Joseph’s Oratory

Montréal has a couple of sites that guide-books inevitably label with the overused adjective “iconic.” St. Joseph’s Oratory tends to be near the top of that list.

It’s one of the largest cathedrals in the world, perched high on the southwest-facing Côte-des-Neiges side of Mont Royal. Its broad stairs and terraces have a commanding 180º view, with the Saint Lawrence river visible to the south and east, and the Laurentians visible to the west. The exterior is considered Renaissance Revival, while the interior is a surprising Art Deco.

In the middle of June, I read in one of the local blogs that the carillon bells were briefly on display, returning after five years being refurbished in France. I thought it would be a good opportunity to take a look!

The Oratory land extends down to Queen Mary Road, and I’d passed this way several times before. There’s a lot of construction work at the site. Here’s a picture from last year — this year, much of the bottom portion is off-limits due to construction.

There’s a bus from the parking lot level, or you can walk a winding road that goes through the forest. I opted for the road.

Once up top, I inquired after the bells. A guard explained to me that at the moment only donors to the big construction project were getting access. So instead, I went to the stairs and terraces and admired all the views. It turned out that (with a telephoto lens) I could look upon the carillon bells anyway!

I always am a little reluctant to be a tourist inside a religious building that’s still in service. Regardless of my own beliefs, I don’t want to be disrespectful. So I thought I’d walk up through the woods behind the Oratory instead, in the belief that it abutted on Parc-Mont-Royal.

Instead, it turns out that there’s a very posh neighborhood up behind there, with huge and stately mansions. With the exception of the trail I took, the roads terminate in fenced-off cul-de-sacs near the Oratory. I didn’t feel like walking through the mansions, so I returned the way I came.

I did eventually go inside the Oratory. I didn’t take many pictures, because I learned that Mass would begin just a few minutes after I entered. I quickly glanced around and then headed home.