Useful Information
Your Support Guide
Download your copy of our informational pamphlet to find out more about the Basilica. This visual guide can also accompany you during your sightseeing visit.
Discover The Basilica
Sightseeing Visit
Shining by day.
Discover the history and heritage of an emblematic Montreal site, from the origins of the urban colony to today's imposing neo-Gothic church.
Combined Offer: Sightseeing Visit (daytime) & The AURA Experience (evening)
Shining by day. Glowing by night.
Enjoy the best of both worlds at a reduced price - a special package including a performance of The AURA Experience and a tour of the Basilica!
Starting from $45 for both activities.
The AURA Experience by Moment Factory
Glowing by night.
By creating a visual and musical universe of captivating beauty and combining it with the timeless beauty of the Notre-Dame Basilica, Moment Factory has succeeded in creating a divinely unique masterpiece, in which the Basilica acts as both muse and canvas.
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History
The Notre-Dame Basilica is Montréal's mother church and the first Gothic Revival church in Canada. Its history, marked by the Sulpicians since its foundation, is inseparable from that of the City of Montréal.
Art & Architecture
Notre-Dame's neo-Gothic architecture and decor has undergone several phases and evolutions over the years. It was first decorated by James O'Donnell (1774-1830), then underwent an interior redecoration by Victor Bourgeau (1809-1888), which contrasted sharply with the church's sober exterior.
The Great Casavant Organs
Inaugurated in 1891, it now has 7,000 pipes with its longest stretching over 32 feet (9.75 m) and the smallest one at a quarter-inch long (6.35 mm). It contains 92 stops on 4 manual keyboards of 61 notes and a pedalboard of 32 notes.
The Restoration Project
Major restoration work on the Basilica began in 2020 and is currently underway. Elements needing restoration include stonework, flashings, bell towers and their sound structures, and other architectural elements to preserve Notre-Dame's exterior façade and the integrity of the building.