A visit to Montreal isn’t complete without going inside its Notre-Dame Basilica facing Place d’Armes Square in the city’s historic district, Old Montreal. Although the church was one of Montreal’s first back in 1672, work was completed in 1829. Notre-Dame Church became Notre-Dame Basilica in 1982 because Pope John Paul II raised its status.
Although travelling in Canada is more difficult than in Europe or Asia because of the cost I vowed to see more of Canada when I returned in September 2017. I made it to Montreal in the spring of 2018, and Notre-Dame Basilica’s facade and interior made me both happy and nostalgic – it’s the closest I could get to Europe and oh, how I (will always) miss Europe.
Notre-Dame Basilica is one of the few churches like the cathedrals in Europe that you can find in Canada. It became recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1989, but I knew about it before my trekking days are because of Celine Dion, who got married there in 1994. Former Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau’s state funeral was held there in 2000 with his son, Justin, the current Prime Minister, delivering the eulogy.
You can learn some local history if you take a tour or, if you just do what I did, wander around on your own. 
What I found most interesting was finding Jeanne Mance. I had heard of her because one of the French schools in my hometown, Kapuskasing, is named after her. At the basilica and thanks to some reading, I learned that she was one of the founders of Montreal, that she was a nurse and a missionary, and that she established and ran Montreal’s first hospital in 1642.
Basilicas typically have a lot of stained-glass windows depicting religious figures or events, but this one also has stained glass that illustrates local history. ↓
We can’t forget the back of the church. The 32-foot pipe organ was completed in 1891, and I can only imagine how beautiful it sounds with the church’s acoustics.
The stained glass pattern that you see on the ceiling goes down the aisle all the way to the sanctuary; you might have noticed it in the first photo of the basilica’s interior. Never forget to look up when you’re at a church like Notre-Dame.
Visiting Details
- If you’re taking the subway, the closest station is Place d’Armes on the Orange Line.
- There is a $10 entrance fee, but it’s free to attend a service.
- They only accept cash.
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