Art & Architecture

At the request of Pastor Rousselot (1823-1889), the sanctuary’s decoration provides a “theological lesson” on the Eucharist. This sacrament commemorates Christ’s sacrifice and presence in Christians’ faith.

At the very bottom of the altarpiece there is a high relief of the Last Supper carved on wood. It is the institution of the Eucharist on the eve of Christ’s death.

The Crucifixion is in the centre of the altarpiece: Christ is shown dead on the cross, the Virgin and St John stand on either side of the cross, and Mary Magdalene is kneeling at his feet.

Around the Crucifixion you can see four Old Testament scenes heralding the sacrifice of the cross and of the Mass.

At the top left, Moses prays in front of the Ark of the Covenant, in which is kept a pot of manna; he legislated on rules of worship.

In the upper right, high priest Aaron immolates a lamb according to tradition.

In the bottom right, the sacrifice of Isaac by his father Abraham.

In the bottom left: Melchizedek’s bread and wine offering.

In the upper part of the altarpiece, the Virgin Mary (after whom Notre-Dame is named) is crowned by her son, Jesus Christ. His royal attributes signal his victory over death through his resurrection.

The composition draws the eye upwards towards the vaulted ceiling, indicating the path to heavenly happiness, with its angels and stars on an intense blue background.

Since the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), priests must celebrate Mass in front of people. In 1998, a new altar and a removable ambo were installed. They were inaugurated on Christmas that year. Sculptor Denis Duguay (born in 1951) drew inspiration from the architecture of the raised high altar behind the choir to design them. Reliquaries under the altar contain relics of Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys (1620-1700), Saint Marguerite d'Youville (1701-1771) and Blessed Brother André (1845-1937) among others.

The pulpit is one of the Basilica’s treasures. In the past, the priest used to go up on it to pronounce his sermon. During the second interior decoration phase for the Basilica, architect Victor Bourgeau (1809-1888) adapted Henri Bouriché’s (1826-1906) original drawings, Louis-Philippe Hébert (1850-1917), a renowned Quebec sculptor, made the ornamentation. The Pulpit of Truth was the very last work created under Bourgeau’s direction before he passed away in 1888. It represents the components of Christian faith.

At its base are the two Old Testament prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah carved in basswood. Above at the level of the guardrail, there is a series of statuettes representing Jesus Christ, Saint Peter and Saint Paul among others. A dove, symbol of the Holy Spirit, is depicted under the sounding board, accompanied by a shining triangle with the name of God in Hebrew written inside it.

Casavant Frères from Saint-Hyacinthe built the Basilica’s organ, which was finished in 1891. The instrument has undergone some restorations since then. On its 100th anniversary, its number of pipes was increased to 7,000; the largest measuring 9.75 metres (32 feet) and the smallest, 6.35 mm (¼ in.).

Since 2002, the organ has had 92 ranks arranged on four keyboards with a pedalboard. The current console dates back to 1962.

This glass chapel allows the faithful to pray in peace and to worship the Blessed Sacrament preserved in the tabernacle of the altar dedicated to the blessed Sulpicians martyred in the French Revolution. Next to it is the altar dedicated to Saint Thérèse de Lisieux, whose statue was sculpted by Elzéar Soucy (1876-1970) It is surrounded by Ozias Leduc’s (1864-1955) paintings.

To mark Notre-Dame’s centennial celebrations in 1929, pastor Olivier Maurault worked on constructing new stained glass windows in the Basilica, for which he had raised the necessary funds. He decided on the theme for the stained glass windows on the ground floor that recount life in the days of Ville-Marie. The west-side windows feature scenes from Montréal’s history, and the east-side windows show moments in famous parishioners’ religious lives. Quebec artist Jean-Baptiste Lagacé (1868-1946) designed the cartoons. The stained glass was made in Francis Chigot’s (1879-1960) workshop in Limoges, France.