St. Joseph's Oratory

(Local Name: Montréal - Oratoire Saint-Joseph) The Oratoire Saint-Joseph in Montreal, near the western exit from the park, is dedicated to Canada's patron saint, and is a mecca for pilgrims. A huge Renaissance-style domed basilica was built in 1924, at the instignation of Brother André of the Congrégation de Sainte-Croix who had already built a small chapel here in 1904, where he performed miraculous acts of healing for which he was canonized in 1982. His tomb is in one part of the sanctuary in the original chapel. Votive gifts are displayed in a second chapel. A cloister behind the church leads up to Mont-Royal. Brother André's monument is by Emile Brunnet and that for St Joseph by Alfred Laliberté. A small museum exhibits religious art. There is a good view from the observatory over north-west Montréal and Lac Saint-Louis.