When the basilica's construction began in 1914, many architects were challenging the conventional
Beaux-Arts style and
neoclassicism. This period was also around the time where
expressionist architecture,
constructivist architecture,
Bauhaus ideas and many other facets of modern architecture began to take off, with pioneers like
Le Corbusier in Europe and
Frank Lloyd Wright in the United States refusing to be categorized by traditional architectural styles. It was certainly atypical for monumental classical church buildings to be constructed in cities around this time, yet Saint Joseph's Oratory was one of the largest buildings in Montreal when it was constructed, and was designed in
Renaissance Revival exterior with an
Art Deco interior. The basilica, as it stands today, comprises many parts, including the
Crypt Church, located underneath the basilica, the
Votive Chapel, between the Crypt and the rock of Mount-Royal, the
Shrine, which encompasses the
nave,
apse and
transept, and the
dome, which is the largest church dome in Canada and the third largest in the world. During the summer solstice, the setting sun is perfectly aligned with the center line of the main steps that lead up to (and into) the basilica. Every year around that time, people sit on the steps to watch the sunset. The main aisle inside the basilica, and even the cross on the altar, are also in perfect alignment with the setting sun on the longest day of the year. Sunlight enters the basilica through some windows and doors. On the day of the total solar eclipse, Monday April 8, 2024, the steps and surrounding areas were filled to capacity with people there to experience the eclipse. Totality occurred at 3:26pm for about 85 seconds. The temperature was about 15C. Although the eastern part of the sky was clear, the southwestern part, where the sun was, had cirrus clouds that muted some of the effects of the eclipse. However, the diamond ring effects, corona with prominences, and planets Venus and Jupiter were all visible to the unaided eye. The spectators cheered and applauded as totality started. After totality some people sang "You Are My Sunshine". A sun rainbow halo formed in the cirrus clouds, and a jet flying across the halo left a contrail with a contrail shadow. Most of the snow from the snowstorm 5 days earlier had melted.
Crypt Church The Crypt Church, originally designed by Viau and Venne, measures , has a seating capacity of 1000 people and is designed in a
neoclassical style. The ceiling is supported using the
barrel vaulting of steel-
reinforced concrete arches. The church is called a "crypt" due to its flattened arches as well as its position embedded into the mountain underneath the basilica. There is a statue of Joseph made out of
Carrara marble behind the main altar of the Crypt Church, added in 1917 by the Italian artist A. Giacomini. Eight stained glass windows depicting the stages in
Saint Joseph's life were installed in the crypt in 1919 by the Montreal firm Perdriau et O'Shea.
Votive Chapel Added between 1946 and 1949 between the Crypt Church and the rock of Mount Royal, the Votive Chapel is designed in Art Deco style from the plans of
Lucien Parent, and relies on heavy use of geometric forms (square columns, square paneling on ceiling). The Chapel measures and contains approximately 10,000 candles, with the central lampstand in front of the statue of Saint Joseph holding approximately 3500 votive candles. The chapel, also referred to as "the Chapel of Ex-votos," has nearly 1000
ex-votos (canes, crutches, etc.) suspended within it, left behind by
pilgrims during the life of Brother André. The chapel also contains eight
bas-reliefs designed by Canadian sculptor, Joseph Guardo in 1948, which illustrate eight of the attributes which
Christianity has accorded to Saint Joseph. The tomb of Saint André, sculpted in black
marble, rests in an alcove in the middle of the Votive Chapel.
Shrine The interior of the basilica, known as the Shrine, was designed using concepts by Dom Bellot as well as Canadian architect Gérard Notebaert, and uses a Latin cross layout with a dome at the crossing. The interior has an overall length of . The nave, which contains
pews to seat 2028 people (with a maximum capacity of 10,000 people), measures in width, while the transept measures and connects to the shrine of Brother André. The apse, as well as the rest of the interior, is designed in
Art Deco style, which was very popular in Montreal during the 1930s, and contains sculptures,
bas-reliefs, mosaics and stained glass of religious imagery. The roof of the basilica is held up using reinforced concrete multi-angle arches iconic of Dom Bellot’s style. The exterior of the Oratory is constructed using large blocks of granite from
Lac Mégantic quarries in Quebec. The
colonnade at the front façade of the building consists of four -tall, -thick
Corinthian columns which provide the structural support for the
entablature of the front
portico. It is also
corniced and
ornamented. The staircase which leads from the street to the base of the basilica contain two parallel flights of 283 concrete steps separated by a central flight of 99 wooden steps reserved for pilgrims who wish to climb on their knees.
Dome The dome of Saint Joseph’s Oratory is the largest church dome in Canada and among the largest and
the tallest domes in the world, and this is a result of Dom Bellot’s very inspired and ambitious designs. His plans for the dome are very similar to those of
Florence Cathedral, being of a "double shell" design, meaning it consists of two domes, one on the interior and one on the exterior with empty space in between. Like the cathedral in Florence, the outer dome of the Oratory consists of eight
pointed arches laying atop an octagonal
drum, with a lantern and cross. The outer dome of the Oratory measures only in thickness and the inner dome measures only about in thickness, which is approximately 18 times thinner than the dome of
St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The concrete shell of the Oratory's dome is so thin in fact that when related to its overall size, it is akin to an eggshell. The two domes vary immensely in span and height, with the outer dome measuring in diameter and rising from the nave floor, and the inner dome measuring in diameter and rising from the nave floor. There are 16 steel
buttresses along the inner walls of the drums that provide the structural support for the dome. They serve to brace the inner dome against the outer dome, thus making the supporting walls for both domes more rigid. ==In popular culture==