Notre-Dame Basilica is a significant part of the Catholic religious heritage of Montreal. The Basilica’s vast size, executed in the Gothic Revival style, the extraordinary craftsmanship and artistic polish of its fittings, its many fine works of religious art, and the interior of its chapel inspired by the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, are heritage features whose preservation and enhancement demand the greatest possible attention and care.

Visitors interested in the arts of the past will be amazed with the church’s impressive crypt, where they can study its origins. The present-day Basilica, which was inaugurated in 1829, was built on a plan set back slightly from the placement of the original church, which stood on the plot of ground covered today by Notre-Dame Street. As a result, many archaeological treasures of major ethnographic value still exist in the area around the Basilica and underneath its front square.

The church is first and foremost a place where the faithful assemble for Sunday celebration of the Eucharist. The people of Christ are here initiated into the expression of the liturgical life. The Church also has the responsibility for teaching the salvific doctrine of Christ. Through homilies, reflections in the Parish Bulletin, and instruction for Baptism and Marriage, we seek to transmit the Word of God. This teaching continues in our visits from tourists. Our guides communicate the meaning and symbolism of the works of art housed in the Basilica, Notre-Dame du Sacré-Cœur Chapel and the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament.