Montreal churches

We visited four churches in Montreal: all Catholic, all rather different and all rather good in their different ways. There must have been plenty of money about for such purposes - and it is also noticeable how many schools and hospitals, have a church flavour, Catholic or otherwise.

Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal

19th century gothic, a lot of paint (similar colour scheme to King's College Chapel in London), rather more successful inside than the Ottawa version, although, with its two galleries running along the aisles and around the back, still rather like a large and ornate theatre of about the same period, which association detracted from its holiness. Nevertheless, very impressive lighting effects around the highly decorated sanctuary. The illustration gives some idea.

But, a first for us, a Catholic church which charges for entry. It was also busy on the Wednesday morning we visited, perhaps with people from the two cruise ships we saw parked in the old harbour.

An interesting chapel at the back, with a great deal of pale brown wood, restoration gothic below, modern above and including a modern altar piece. The two tones appeared to be intended to symbolise the rebuilding after a disastrous fire. The images offered by google at 'chapelle de la basilique notre-dame de montréal' give some idea.

Pope visited.

Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours

The sailors' church, rebuilt after a fire in the late 18th century, rather handsome and rather similar to one of our own baroque churches in London from a hundred years previous. The mise-en-scène included a number of model boats suspended from the ceiling.

We were lucky enough to catch the end of an organ recital which gave the place a holier feel than it might otherwise have had.

St. Patrick's Basilica

19th century gothic. Less ornate than Notre-Dame and with few visitors. Appeared to be of steel construction, with the steel covered in painted papier-mâché or some such, done rather well. A lot of timber had been spent on the pews. Overall, I liked it better than Notre-Dame; perhaps because it was a bit quieter and more Protestant in tone.

There was also an interesting display of relics in a side room. Including a fragment of bone from St. Patrick himself and a replica of a nail from the True Cross, with the replica having been sanctified by its having touched aforesaid True Nail.

Bibles in English rather than the usual French.

Secondary double glazing outside the stained glass.

Basilique-cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde

A copy in small of St. Peter's in Rome, so not at all restoration gothic. With it's coffered, barrel arched ceilings it reminded me of St. Paul's in London and I rather liked it.

While we were there there was something called a rosary service, which seemed to consist of a series of short elements, with each element being the priest saying something followed by the congregational response, in unison. Like the organ in the chapel, and despite the picture takers carrying on regardless, this gave the visit some extra holiness. Still more in a side chapel reserved for private prayer & meditation, a reservation which was respected.

PS 1: à propos of French, we were assured by a receptionist somewhere that, despite the fierce language laws in Quebec, it was still OK to lecture in English at McGill, provided lecture notes in French were made available - which seemed fair enough.

PS 2: the Canadians seem to have or less given up on people taking pictures in churches and museums, although one church did draw the line at a camera on a pole,

Reference 1: for King's College Chapel see http://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.ca/search?q=lentil+news.