Breakfast/Notre Dame de Montreal- 9/26/2019

This is a huge bakery close to our air b&b apartment.  We walked by it a couple of times and here we are buying a few things for breakfast.

We usually don't eat much in the morning but coffee is a must.

We got a pain aux raisins, chouquette, and an almond financer.. So delicious!

Very warm and friendly place to start your morning.

Next we took the bus to get to the Old Montreal located in the heart of Montreal.

Place D'Armes is a square located in the heart of the old Montreal quarter.

In the center of the square is a monument in the memory of Paul Chomedey, Founder of Montreal.

Buildings that surround it is Notre Dame de Montreal (in the back), Saint sulpice Seminary, New York Life building, Aldred building, and Bank of Montreal head office.

Maisonneuve Monument dedicated to Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, founder of Montreal.

This monument in memory of Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, founder of Montreal, was unveiled on July 1, 1895, as part of the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the city in 1892.

At the base are statue of people that also played a role in forming Montreal.

Across the square is the famous Basilica Notre Dame de Montreal.

Approximately 11 million people visit Notre-Dame Basilica every year, making it one of the most visited monuments in North America.

The main construction work took place between 1824 and 1829. The cornerstone was laid at Place d'Armes on September 1, 1824. The sanctuary was finished in 1830, and the first tower in 1841, the second in 1843. O'Donnell designed the towers with to be traditionally Gothic, and intended for them to be seen from any point in the city

On its completion, the church was the largest in North America. It remained the largest in North America for over fifty years.

The facade of the church was completed in 1865, and three statues were included; Saint-Joseph, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Jean-Baptiste. These statues were built by Henri Bouriché, a French sculptor.

Buying tickets to in the Basilica

As soon as you walk in the interior is simply breathtaking with the blue lights glowing in the back ground.

The interior of the church is amongst the most dramatic in the world and regarded as a masterpiece of Gothic Revival architecture.

It is filled with hundreds of intricate wooden carvings and several religious statues.

Unusual for a church, the stained glass windows along the walls of the sanctuary do not depict biblical scenes, but rather scenes from the religious history of Montreal.

The celebration altar and the Ambon.  Since Liturgical reform of the 2nd Vatican council, the priest must celebrate Mass in front of the people.  In 1998, a new altar was installed.  The sculptor-designer Denis Dugay, drew inspiration from the architecture of the high altar, and raised it behind the choir to make it visible.  The inauguration took place at Christmas in 1998

The theme for the Altarpiece was developed around the sacrificial aspect of the Eucharist, the sacrament that renews the sacrifice of Christ.

The crucifixion is in the center of the altarpiece.  Christ is represented dead on a cross, the virgin and Saint John stand on either side of the cross and Mary Magdalena is kneeling at her feet.

The vaults are colored deep blue and decorated with golden stars, and the rest of the sanctuary is decorated in blues, azures, reds, purples, silver, and gold.

Here is a close up of one of the vault.

Ceiling decoration

Statue by Pier Cloutier (1945-1986) Eulalie Durocher  (1811-1849), Mother Marie-Rose, founder of the sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary

Mother Marie-Rose was beatified on May 23rd 1982

painting and work of art inside the Basilica.

To mark the Notre-Dame centennial celebrations in 1929, the parish priest Olivier Maurault saw the construction of new stained-glass windows in the basilica, for which he raised the necessary funds. The stained glass windows would be made at the Francis Chigot workshop in Limoges, France. Stained-glass windows are representations of the history of the founding of Montreal.

Area where you can light a candle for a loved one.

This is the aisle side of the basilica.

View of the Sanctuary from then entrance.

 A painting inside the basilica. 

The pulpit is an important showpiece of the basilica. Formerly, the priest went up there to pronounce his sermon. The architect Victor Bourgeau (1809-1888) designed this pulpit during the renovations of the 1870s.

Louis-Philippe Hébert (1850-1917), a well-known sculptor, built the ornate piece, and notably, seen on the ground, are the two prophets of the Old Testament, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah. As with the altarpiece, the pulpit signifies that the Old Testament of the Bible is the basis of the Christian faith. Above this, at the level of the guardrail, there is a series of statuettes representing, among others, Christ sitting and teaching Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

Paintings depicting scene of Jesus Christ carrying the cross.

On top you can see the great Casavant Organs.

It was the Casavant Frères firm of Saint-Hyacinthe who constructed the organ of the basilica in 1891. Since then, the instrument has undergone some restorations. On the occasion of its 100th anniversary, its composition was increased to 7,000 pipes: the largest measuring 10 meters (32 feet) and the smallest, 6mm (1/4 in.). Since 2002, the organ has 92 sets arranged on four keyboards, with a pedal board. The current console is from 1962

Close look at the organs high above the entrance door.

Notre Dame du sacre coeur chapel located at the entrance/exit.

This chapel makes a striking impression with its great luminosity and the numerous decorative details. The altarpiece by Quebec sculptor, Charles Daudelin, consists of 32 bronze panels. It weighs 20 tons and measures 5 m in width by 18 meters in height.

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