Since Jay, Arabella and I really had not had a chance to explore Montreal too much before her visit, we did many of the touristy things. But that was OK, since it helped us to get a feel for the layout of the City and where all the fun things to do are.
We started out Saturday morning with a trip to Marche Atwater. It is one of the many markets in Montreal. Our French tutor suggested we check it out and we were all very happy that we did. The Marche (or market) is located in what appears to be an old warehouse. It consists of many different stalls or shops. There are flower shops, fromageries (cheese shops), boulangerie (bread), boucher (butcher), and many other shops. Everything is fresh and I am certain that if they don't carry what you are looking for it doesn't exisit!
Bauutiful flowers
Fresh pastries
Have you ever seen so many types of mushrooms in one place?
Fresh fruit
So many sausages to choose from!
We had lunch at the boulangerie and picked up fresh meat for dinner. Although on the weekends it is very busy and hard to really check things out. We made a return trip on Monday and it was so much nicer and relaxed. We will be checking out the other Marches in the City!
From Marche Atwater, we headed downtown. Our first stop was the Basilique Notre-Dame. Jay and I had visited this magnificent church on a prior trip to Montreal, but it is worth a return trip words cannot explain the beauty and it takes your breath away. When Lori returns, we are planning on attending Mass there. Here is some history (taken from http://www.basiliquenddm.org/en/basilica/history.aspx):
Dedicated to Our Lady the Blessed Virgin – “Notre Dame” – the small original chapel was operated at first by the Jesuits. Then came the Sulpician Fathers, who in 1657 undertook construction of a larger church. The Sulpician François Dollier de Casson was its architect, and the present-day Notre-Dame Street served as the original site. Its construction, in Baroque style was completed between 1672 and 1683.
By 1800, Dollier’s church had become too small, and the Fabrique decided to build the church we know today. To design the new church, the building council engaged the services of the New York architect James O’Donnell – himself an Irish Protestant by origin. O’Donnell and the Fabrique opted for the Gothic Revival style then in vogue in England and the United States. The main construction work took place between 1824 and 1829.
O’Donnell did not live to see his work completed. He died in Montreal in 1830. Just prior to his death, he had converted to Catholicism, and was buried in the new church’s crypt, where his grave is marked by a plaque.
The old church set back from the road was demolished in the summer of 1830, except for its bell tower, which survived until 1843, when Notre-Dame Basilica’s twin towers were completed by the architect John Ostell. The western tower, nicknamed La Persévérance (Perseverance) and finished in 1841, houses the great bell christened “Jean-Baptiste,” weighing 11 tons (11,000 kilograms or 24,000 pounds). The eastern tower, nicknamed La Tempérance (Temperance), was completed in 1843 and houses a carillon of 10 bells.
In 1889, Curé Léon-Alfred Sentenne commissioned the architects Perreault and Mesnard to build a chapel that would accommodate ceremonies for smaller congregations, such as marriages and funerals. Named the Chapel of Notre-Dame du Sacré-Cœur (Our Lady of the Sacred Heart) and consecrated on December 8, 1891, the date of the feast of the Immaculate Conception, it was built in Gothic Revival style with a wealth of sculptural motifs.
Unfortunately, a fire seriously damaged the chapel on December 7, 1978. Reconstruction was undertaken by the architectural firm of Jodin, Lamarre, Pratte and Associates, whose plan suggested rebuilding the first two levels to be identical to the original chapel, with skilled carpenters, sculptors and woodworkers using traditional methods. The vault was built in a modern style allowing for natural lighting. The new chapel was opened in 1982.
Stylistically, the church’s look indoors in its early years was very different from its present appearance. The wall at the end of the sanctuary lay flat and was lit by a large window, in the traditional manner of English Gothic churches. Six paintings taken from the old church were hung on this wall. For economy’s sake, the old church’s high altar was moved into the new sanctuary. This altar stands today on the west wall of the side chapel dedicated to Saint Marguerite d’Youville. In the nave, the columns were painted to give a realistic impression of veined marble. This work was executed by an Italian artist from New York, Angelo Pienovi.
Between 1870 and 1900, the second phase of decoration of the church was the work of Curé Victor Rousselot and Victor Bourgeau, Quebec’s most active architect of that era. While travelling in France, Rousselot had been deeply impressed by the style and symbolism of the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, which he proposed as a source of inspiration for Bourgeau. The blue and gold colours chosen, the gilded leaves in the vaulting and on the columns are especially reminiscent of the Sainte-Chapelle. This polychrome decoration consists entirely of sculpted wood.
It took the original workmen only 35 months to complete the church, working from April to October between 1824 and 1829.
At the time of its consecration, Notre-Dame Church was the largest house of worship of any religious denomination in North America
The three statues on the façade of the Basilica represent Montreal (the Virgin Mary), Quebec (Saint John the Baptist) and Canada (Saint Joseph).
Céline Dion and René Angélil were married at Notre-Dame Basilica on December 18, 1994.
From here we walked around Vieux-Montreal (Old Montreal) to the Vieux-Port (Old Port). It was nice to walk around and get a feel for the City. We will be back soon.
On Monday, we went to Mont-Royal, which gives you amazing views of the City.
From Mont-Royal we visited Saint Joseph's Oratory. This is another amazing religious site. It sits high above Montreal. I would like to go back in the spring or summer when the trees are out and when they reopen the Nativity exhibit. The following are some facts about the Shrine:
Visitors can climb up to 283 steps at Saint Joseph's Oratory between street level and the Basilica.
A flight of 99 wooden is reserved for prayer and for those pilgrims who wish to climb on their knees.
The carillon consists of 56 bells and was originally designed for the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It was installed at the Oratory in 1954
The Oratory Museum has a collection of over 300 nativity from more than 100 countries.
Two million visitors and pilgrims visit the Oratory every year.
The basilica dome has a diameter of 39 meters (125 feet) and rises 236 meters (856 feet) above sea level. It is the highest point in the city of Montreal. Aviation authorities require that the cross on top be illuminated.
The Basilica can seat 2200 people.
Pope Pius IX declared Saint Joseph Patron of the Universal Church in 1870.
Before religious life, Alfred Bessette bounced from job to job working variously as a tinsmith, blacksmith, cobbler, farmer and millworker.
Every year the Oratory distributes over 100,000 bottles of Saint Joseph’s oil.
The basilica was consecrated on October, 19 2004, by Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte, Archibishop of Montreal on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Oratory.
Here is a picture of the Oratory (but it does not do it justice):
After this we headed back to the West Island and stopped at Fairview Pointe Claire for a little shopping. All in all, we had a great day!
We were sad to see Auntie Lori leave but know that she will be back to visit. We miss you!
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