Our first stop was a lunch stop at this cute diner called Paulo and Suzanne's. Simon introduced this place to me as "a place with real poutine"... and amazing it was! Instead of the typical original poutine that is stereotypical to Canada, we had many choices with other toppings. I went with Simon's recommendation of "Philly Bomb" Poutine! It was huge and delicious :)
check that out! :) with Karen, Remy and Simon
After that delicious lunch, we drove to Mount Royal to where St. Joseph Oratory was. It was just breathtaking to see as well pulled in!
Just some history behind the Oratory, as read taken from the Arrow Guide:
Brother Andre was born in 1845 in a town southeast of Montreal. He had incredible confidence in St. Joseph, who he could relate to as Brother Andre was an orphan who had little education and was poor and sick. At the age of 30, much attention was brought towards him as he was attributed for the reason of many miracles and cures. Br. Andre attributed these miracles to the power of St. Joseph.
In 1904, he built a chapel across from the college that he worked at as a porter in honor of St. Joseph. This chapel soon became a great basilica as there were many people that came to visit Br. Andre.
Br. Andre passed away on January 6, 1937. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 23, 1982 and was canonized on October 17, 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI. Every year more than 2 million people come to visit the Oratory, which houses the tomb of Br. Andre as well as his heart.
By the numbers....
- Brother Andre lived to the age of 91, living from 1845-1937
- In the bell tower (Carillon - one of the largest in North America), there are 56 bells weighing a total of 24,000 kg
- In the Votive Chapel, there are 10,000 vigil lights present
- The Crypt-Church has a seating capacity of 1,000
- A statue of St. Joseph in the Crypt-Church weighs 5,000 lbs and is 9 feet tall
- The statues in the Way of the Cross Gardens were created between 1943-1953, and carved between 1952-1959
- In front of the Main Portico, the Corinthian columns rise up to 60 ft. At this place, one would be 537 ft above sea level, and it would take 283 steps to return back to street level.
- The exterior dome of the Basilica rises 506 ft above street level and 856 ft above average sea level. It is the highest point of Montreal.
- The Grand Organ within the Basilica is 60 ft high, 44 ft wide, and consists of 5,811 pipes
- The original chapel has a sanctuary that measures 15 by 18 feet
We toured pretty much the entire building and the grounds of the Oratory, and it was just so surreal to see. It makes one wonder how long it must have taken to build such a grandiose building, from initial ideas to the final completion. I feel that the pictures can tell better stories...
In all, it was a wonderful experience to go see the Oratory. I am so glad that I got to see it before I left Quebec! It is also so strange to think that my 6 weeks is just about up. I have mixed feelings about this - I am sad to go but I am also excited to go home and see my family and friends again, but I don't want to leave behind this summer. I've learned so much this summer about myself that I never knew before.
The final week... let's make this count :) I dedicate this song to all the kids in the exchange with me who also dread to see this summer end...I stumbled across it when I was listening to my playlist on Youtube. "Don't Want an Ending" by Sam Tsui.
bonne semaine tout le monde,
Rachel
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