History & Heritage

Through the seminary he founded, Jean-Jacques Olier devoted himself to the spiritual education and pastoral initiation of future priests. In 1657, at the request of the Société Notre-Dame de Montréal, he sent the first four Sulpicians to Montréal. They were some of the first graduates from the seminary in Paris. They replaced the Jesuit missionaries who had previously ministered there.

In 1663, the Sulpicians got royal authorization to acquire the Island of Montréal and administered it until 1840. As Seigneurs of Montréal, they had many responsibilities but equally had the privilege of collecting duties and taxes. With this income, the Sulpicians maintained their community and developed Montréal’s infrastructure.

In 1678, the canonical institution of the parish of Notre-Dame de Montréal was created. The superior of the Sulpicians was the parish priest.

In 1672, the location was chosen for a stone church within the axis of Notre-Dame Street. The construction work cost a fortune, and when the Church of Notre-Dame finally opened in 1683, it had no bell tower or façade due to lack of funds.

Despite extensions, the church became too small for its growing congregation. In 1819, the church was only able to accommodate 3,000 out of its 15,000 worshippers. The rest had to attend Sunday Mass from the parvis.

In 1889, pastor Léon-Alfred Sentenne entrusted architects Perreault and Mesnard with the construction of a chapel for ceremonies gathering a limited number of people, such as weddings and funerals. Named Notre-Dame du Sacré-Cœur and opened on December 8, 1891, it has an eclectic style full of columns, arches, friezes and sculpted motifs.

Unfortunately, a fire caused serious damage on December 7, 1978. Reconstruction was entrusted to architects Jodoin, Lamarre, Pratte and associates, who suggested reconstructing the first two levels using woodworkers, sculptors and carpenters who worked with historical methods. The vault received a modern treatment that allowed for natural light to come in, and the altarpiece was entrusted to sculptor Charles Daudelin (1920-2001), who designed an imposing 20-tonne bronze piece measuring 52 feet high and 17 feet wide (15.85 x 5.18 metres). The new chapel was inaugurated in 1982. Today, the chapel is reserved for adoration and meditation as well as weddings.

Notre-Dame took root in what we now call Old Montréal and was part of the biggest events in the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Pope John Paul II raised Notre-Dame Church to the rank of minor basilica on April 21, 1982. This was an opportunity to recognize the religious, historical and artistic significance of the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal, a treasure of Quebec's heritage.

Given its significance, Notre-Dame was designated as a national historic site by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada in 1989.

Since its founding, the Basilica has been the site of major religious and cultural events.

Since 1918, the annual festivities to commemorate the city’s founding have been celebrated here, under the aegis of the Société historique de Montréal. On May 17, 2017, a Mass commemorating the city's 375th anniversary was held at the Basilica with many notable people in attendance, including the prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, and the premier of Quebec, Philippe Couillard.

Several significant funerals were held there, including those of Sir Georges Étienne Cartier, Pierre-Elliot Trudeau, Maurice Richard, Charles Daudelin, Bernard Landry, and 9 out of the 14 victims of the École Polytechnique femicide.

Pope John Paul II celebrated a Mass for children here on September 11, 1984.

Céline Dion and René Angélil got married here on December 17, 1994.

As a cultural site, the Basilica is often frequented by music lovers who can listen to concerts, choirs and the famous Casavant organ, thanks to its impeccable acoustics. Luciano Pavarotti performed at the Basilica in 1978 to record a Christmas concert. The Montréal Symphony Orchestra has also played here regularly.

The active and innovative team at the Basilica also started exhibitions and shows. And Then There Was Light—a sound and light show—was performed there for ten years and attracted over 300,000 visitors. Since March 2017, The AURA Experience, a Moment Factory production started by the Basilica, was presented six evenings a week and was seen by over 650,000 people from 137 countries between 2017 and 2020. This unique light experience allows spectators to rediscover the breathtaking interior and architectural wonders of the Basilica.

As a tourism hotspot, the Basilica welcomes over a million visitors from all over the world every year, each of them enthralled by its beauty while also getting an opportunity to explore Quebec’s religious history.