#16: Visit St. Joseph Oratory

Yesterday was part 2 of tourists in Montreal with my dear friend SW. I need to preface this by saying that we had a hugeeee (but delicious) breakfast and for some reason didn't manage to shake off the sleepiness that ensued for the rest of the day. Between that and the fact that the Oratory is the biggest, most confusing church I've ever seen (and I've seen my fair share of churches in Italy so that's saying A LOT), we kinda died.

St. Joseph Oratory is nicely nested on Mount Royal and apparently has healing powers. Inside the church, in the COOLEST chapel I've ever seen (candles wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling), there are giant stands filled with crutches, canes, and the likes. According to what my mom told me, people would come to the Oratory for a pilgrimage and during/after, would find themselves healed. They left behind their walking helps. Seeing them all like this together makes for kind of an awe-inspiring moment.

One of four of the stands with crutches/canes/etc. in the Chapel of Votives

Now aside from the chapel, there is of course the Basilica at the very top. Lots of stairs. Looooots of stairs. But the view is amazing (and I imagine even more amazing by night) and the Basilica is breathtaking. The ceilings are so high, you feel like a tiny speck of dust. It's very bare, plain, yet so impressive. Complete opposite of Notre Dame, which was decked out to the nines, without one tiny piece of wall left unadorned. But St. Joseph has its charms. So much in fact that I found out it's used as the picture representing Montreal in the "around the world" version of Monopoly.

Like I said. LOTS OF STAIRS to the top. But so worth it.