Frommer's Review
Breathtaking in the richness of its interior furnishings and big enough to hold 4,000 worshipers, this magnificent structure was designed in 1824 by James O'Donnell, an Irish-American Protestant architect from New York. So profoundly was O'Donnell moved by the experience that he converted to Catholicism after the basilica was completed. The impact is understandable. Of the hundreds of churches on the island of Montréal, Notre-Dame's interior is the most stunning, with a wealth of exquisite detail, most of it carved from rare woods that have been delicately gilded and painted. O'Donnell, clearly a proponent of the Gothic revival style, is the only person honored by burial in the crypt.
The main altar was carved from linden wood, the work of Victor Bourgeau. Behind it is the Chapelle Sacré-Coeur (Sacred Heart Chapel), much of it destroyed by an arsonist in 1978 but rebuilt and rededicated in 1982. The altar has 32 bronze panels representing birth, life, and death, cast by Charles Daudelin of Montréal. A 10-bell carillon resides in the east tower, while the west tower contains a single massive bell nicknamed "Le Gros Bourdon" which weighs more than 12 tons and has a low, resonant rumble that vibrates right up through your feet.
Twenty-minute guided tours in English are offered throughout the day, beginning at 9am. Depending on his availability, the church's organist Pierre Grandmaison gives 90-minute tours of the organ on occasional Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings. And a sound-and-light show called "Et la lumière fut" ("And then there was light") -- advertised on garish banners in front of the church -- is presented nightly Tuesday through Saturday.
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planning your trip.
