Saint Patrick's Basilica is a Roman Catholic minor basilica in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... St. ... City motto: Concordia Salus (Latin: Well-being through harmony) Province Quebec Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area  - % water 366. ... Motto: Je me souviens (French: I remember) Official languages French Capital Quebec City Largest city Montréal Lieutenant-Governor Lise Thibault Premier Jean Charest (PLQ) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 75 24 Area Total  â€¢ Land  â€¢ Water    (% of total)  Ranked 2nd 1,542,056 km² 1,183,128 km² 176...

History

Exterior view of St. Patrick's, with the foundations of St. Bridget's Asylum in the foreground

The church is known for its historic links to the Irish Canadian community. English-speaking Catholics first assembled in Montreal at the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours church in Old Montreal in 1817. Their numbers were swelled by the massive arrival of Irish immigrants. They were first transferred to the Church of the Recollets in 1830, but by 1841 they numbered 6,500, and could no longer be accommodated there. Exterior of St. ... Exterior of St. ... Irish Canadians are people of Irish descent living in Canada or born as native Canadians. ... Old Montreal (or Vieux-Montréal in French) is the oldest area in Montreal, dating back to colonial times. ...

The site of Saint Patrick's Church was purchased, and construction began, in 1843; it was then on the outskirts of the town, a sloped site overlooking parishioners' homes. The first mass was celebrated in the church on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 1847. March 17 is the 76th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (77th in Leap years). ... 1847 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

The Quebec government designated the church a historic monument in December 1985. It has also been designated a heritage building by the government of Canada. This article is about the year. ...

On St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 1989, the church was raised to the dignity of minor basilica by Pope John Paul II, upon request by Paul Cardinal Grégoire, archbishop of Montreal. March 17 is the 76th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (77th in Leap years). ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Pope John Paul II (Latin: ), born Karol Józef WojtyÅ‚a [1] (May 18, 1920 – April 2, 2005) reigned as pope of the Roman Catholic Church for almost 27 years, from October 16, 1978 until his death, making his the second-longest pontificate. ... Cardinal Paul Grégoire (October 24, 1911 – October 30, 1993) was a Canadian Archbishop of Montreal. ...

Architecture

The gothic revival building, designed by P.L. Morin and Father Felix Martin, is 71 metres long and 32 metres wide; the steeple reaches a height of 69 metres. It is considered one of the most magnificent examples of its style in Canada. Victoria Tower at the Palace of Westminster, London: Gothic details provided by A.W.N. Pugin The Gothic revival was a European architectural movement with origins in mid-18th century England. ...

Interesting architectural features of the church include 150 oil paintings of the saints, on the gothic oak wainscoting encircling the nave.

The church is known for "St. Patrick's Chimes," its ten bells, of which the oldest, "Charlotte," was cast in 1774 and used in the previous church of Notre-Dame. The bell system was restored in 1989. The organ was installed in 1852 and has been successively rebuilt several times. In 1972, it was combined with the organ of St. Anthony's Church, also of Montreal, which had been demolished. Church bell from Saleby, Västergötland, Sweden containing an inscription from 1228 in the Runic alphabet A church bell is a bell which is rung in a (especially Christian) church either to signify the hour or the time for worshippers to go to church, perhaps to attend a wedding...

Inside the church are memorials to two famous parishioners. Pew 240, used by Thomas D'Arcy McGee, a statesman and Father of Confederation who was assassinated in 1868, is marked. In the rear of the church, a plaque commemorates the baptism in the church of the poet Émile Nelligan. McGee in 1868 Thomas DArcy McGee, PC, (April 13, 1825 – April 7, 1868) was a Canadian journalist and Father of Confederation. ... // Biography Émile Nelligan (December 24, 1879 - November 18, 1941) was a French language poet from Quebec, Canada. ...

The church is located at 460 René Lévesque Boulevard West, in downtown Montreal, at the corner of Saint-Alexandre Street (Square-Victoria or Place-des-Arts metro stations). René Lévesque Boulevard (officially boulevard René-Lévesque) is one of Montreals main streets. ... Square-Victoria is a station on the Montreal Metro Orange Line. ... Place-des-Arts Place-des-Arts is a station on the Montreal Metro Green Line. ... Place-Saint-Henri station The Montreal Metro is the main form of public transportation within the city of Montreal. ...

See also

• List of basilicas in Canada
• Montreal's other basilicas:
  • Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral
  • Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica
  • Saint Joseph's Oratory

This is a list of Roman Catholic basilicas. ... The Cathedral-Basilica of Mary, Queen of the World (French: Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde) in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, is the seat of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Montreal. ... Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica The Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal (commonly called Notre-Dame Basilica) is a basilica in the historic district of Montreal, in Quebec, Canada. ... St. ...

External links

• St. Patrick's Basilica
• St. Patrick's Basilica (Quebec Religious Heritage Foundation)