Saturday, October 26, 2013

Montreal Churches / Stations of the Cross

It's Sunday morning - everyone
Get up - it's time to go to Church ( es ) 

Montreal is renowned for its churches. Indeed, as Mark Twain once noted, "This is the first time I was ever in a city where you couldn't throw a brick without breaking a church window."[3] 
The key word here is CITY - these are all in the City ( or the island )  of Montreal 

 
Notre Dame Basilica - Montreal
Interior below


source

St George's Anglican Church
( Where John sang for many many years )


St. Patrick's

                                                   

St James
The Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew

Mary Queen of the World Cathedral


Interior Below


                                                                   Mountainside United
source

NOTRE DAME DE BON SECOURS
( our Lady of good help )
Built in 1771 over the ruins of a destroyed previous Church
source

AND the last one is the largest in Canada - and it's quite magnificent - with more than 2 million visitors annually.

A major site of Roman Catholic pilgrimage and worship, St. Joseph's began with the devotional impulse of a humble monk called Frère André who worked across the street at the Collège Notre-Dame. His original tiny chapel, begun in 1904, is still extant on the southwest side of the church shown here, which was begun in 1924 and substantially completed in 1956. It's the biggest church in Canada, and the dome is the world's third largest, after Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro in Côte d'Ivoire and St. Peter's in Rome.
Devout visitors sometimes climb the steps in the middle, kneeling to pray at every step; most walk up normally or take one of the free shuttle buses from the base.

My Grandmother ( on my Mother's side - Irish/Canadian - actually knelt and prayed at every single step during World War 2 - all 280 of them - I've walked up them many many times in my life - and every single time I do - I imagine her and the grief that made her do it..............


There's a Sculpture garden - " The Way of the Cross " ( although I was always taught it to be the Stations of the Cross....................)  Care to stroll through the garden with me?

STATION 1
JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH


STATION 2
JESUS IS LADEN WITH THE CROSS


STATION 3
UNDER THE WEIGHT OF THE BURDEN JESUS FALLS FOR THE FIRST TIME


STATION 4
JESUS MEETS HIS MOTHER


STATION 5
SIMON OF CYRENE HELPS JESUS BEAR HIS SUFFERING


STATION 6
VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS


STATION 7
JESUS FALLS FOR A SECOND TIME


STATION 8
JESUS COMFORTS THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM


STATION 9
JESUS FALLS FOR A THIRD TIME


STATION 10
JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS CLOTHES


STATION 11
JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS


STATION 12
JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS


STATION 13
JESUS IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS


STATION 14
JESUS IS PLACED IN THE TOMB


THE RESURECTION
                                                          

POOL AND FOUNTAIN OF REDEMPTION


It's truly a magnificent garden - people of every faith and denomination visit this garden yearly - and no matter what your belief system is ( even if you don't have one ) - you can only feel a wave of peace and love upon leaving it.

Hope you feel a bit of both today
Much love,

images were sourced through DC MEMORIALS.COM  - click to see other images.
( unless the source is hyperlinked beneath an image )

THE GARDENS OF THE WAY OF THE CROSS

The outdoor Gardens of the Way of the Cross is one of Saint Joseph’s Oratory’s best kept secrets. The 16 stations unfold amidst an artfully landscaped terrain. Located to the east of the basilica, the gardens are a good place to meditate.

Origin

From the early days of the shrine, a Way of the Cross was marked out on the mountain to allow the faithful to come and meditate upon the Passion of Christ. This devotion was very close to the heart of the Oratory’s founder, Saint Brother André. The project of creating a Way of the Cross out of stone, to replace the rustic wooden crosses, emerged in 1935. 

A Garden

Work on the 200,000 square-foot area to the east of the basilica did not begin until the fall of 1942. Famous landscape architect Frederick Todd designed a pathway meandering around the flank of the mountain transforming the site into a magnificent garden with many varieties of trees, shrubs and flowers. This lovely green space showcases one of the most beautiful treasures of Canada’s religious heritage.

The Art of Louis Parent

Montreal artist Louis Parent conceived this major artwork. His Way of the Cross has 14 of the traditional stations to which he added a marble monument depicting the Resurrected Christ and a reflecting pool with the Fountain of Redemption. In toto, the grouping comprises 42 characters, each approximately 9 feet high, which the sculptor modeled in his workshop at the Oratory, between 1943 and 1953. The statues were carved out of Indiana limestone by Ercolo Barbieri, between 1952 and 1958. Louis Parent designed the pieces to blend harmoniously into the natural environment. Art critics have had nothing but praise for this work that has stood the test of time. 

Schedule

The Gardens are open from May 1 to October 14 (Thanksgiving).

SHARING WITH!!!
I Should be Mopping the Floor                        No Minimalist Here                          Savvy Southern Style

Common Ground                                           My Romantic Home                        Coastal Charm
Adorned from Above                                         Uncommon Design

26 comments:

  1. I see what Mark Twain meant! Oh my goodness, what beautiful churches, I would love to visit. I like the picture of St George's, dwarfed by the modern architecture.
    What devotion your grandmother must have had, that is quite an accomplishment as the steps seem to go on forever.
    The sculpture garden is beautiful. I must see Montreal!
    Beautiful post, Suzan. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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  2. Being of the Anglican "bent", I would expecially love to see St. George's. Beautiful churches and the meditation garden is beautiful. I can certainly see how walking the path, praying and meditating at the stations of the cross would enhance the preparation for the holy day of Resurrection. Very nice post.

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  3. What a beautiful post, Suzan. I really love that garden with the stations of the cross. It is magnificent. I can just picture your sweet grandmother praying on each one of those steps. I wonder if she was praying the rosary~

    Hope you have a great day. Any news on the house yet? xo Diana
    ps. Curiosity- I know John sang for so many years-why did he quit? There's where our two John boys split-this one cannot carry a tune in a bucket....

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  4. The garden is gorgeous. Thanks for explaining the stations. I have driven by the cathedral when we were in Montreal and noted all the steps....but when I see what they aspire to I am now more tempted to actually transcend the stairs and visit the garden. Thanks.
    As an aside, the City of Montreal really should promote your blog. You really bring life to the area.

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  5. Oh my goodness...what an incredibly beautiful Stations. I'm nearly in tears just looking at the photos. I can only imagine how moving they must be in person. Thanks for sharing!

    xoxo
    -andi

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  6. Oh Suzan, how breath taking. The stations are stunning and all the church's are simply
    beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing this stunning post.
    Did you get the house? Have a great week.
    Mary

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  7. Montreal has been high on my vacation list for a long time. Last night we were at a Halloween party (I was Colonel Sanders and Steve wore a chicken suit) and one of the couples was talking about visiting their daughter in Montreal. They love NYC, but said Montreal surpasses NYC in their opinion.

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  8. Suzan, this is such a beautiful post. The pictures, the stories, all of it really. I'm in amazement of your grandmother's compassionate feat. Would love to hear John sing. Hope your day is as peaceful as this post!

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  9. Stunningly beautiful! I must visit someday. Montreal is now on my bucket list and there is not much on it anymore. Love your blog and would love to hear John sing, too. Blessings

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  10. These are really beautiful churches. The last one is amazing. I've never been in Montreal, only driven through on the way to Ontario, but I would love to visit and spend some time there and in Quebec City as well. In fact, I'd like to go to Ontario again too. It seems we just land and take off in Montreal or Toronto on our way to and from Calgary. Thanks for sharing some of the historical churches of Montreal.

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  11. Be in New York or Montreal, it always amazes me to see old churches amongst modern buildings. Your pictures are really nice and I had no idea there were so many different churches in Montreal.

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  12. Such beautiful, historical churches. After reading many of your posts featuring the beautiful architecture and places to see in Montreal, I have now placed it on my bucket list of places to visit! Some day...:) Thanks for sharing....that garden and the sculptures are beautiful and perfect for this Lord's Day!
    Blessings, Vicky
    Life On Willie Mae Lane

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  13. Oh Suzan....what a truly beautiful and inspiring place! I was drawn in to each of the photos of the Stations of the Cross. Just amazing. I can only imagine the peace and serenity you felt while touring this garden. And those cathedrals! Utterly magnificent!

    xoxo laurie

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  14. Wow Suzan what beautiful churches. The architecture is so beautiful. The gardens with the statues is breath taking. To beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
    Kris

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  15. I visited St. Joseph's in Montreal a few times, once as a child and once as an adult. It was beautiful. I didn't realize there were so many other gorgeous churches in Montreal also. I love this post. Very interesting. Linda

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  16. That garden with all the statues of Christ...breathtaking. I'm also touched that your grandmother prayed on each of the many steps. That was such a dark time in our world's history. :( XOXO

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  17. All of the churches are just gorgeous, but that last one? Spectacular..Last December we went to Israel, and saw the tomb where Jesus was resurrected. It was incredible.

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  18. Beautiful post, churches in Quebec are magnificent!!
    My favoruite church is St. Anne de Beaupre,the church makes me feel at peace,just being inside sitting and admiring the beautiful ceiling I can spend all day there!
    Also behind the church,there is a sculpture hill,I'm sure you know it, it was a good walk,I mean exercise,I was out of breath...lol

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  19. You've got a whole lot of awesome packed into this post!

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  20. Those are some amazing buildings, churches always fascinate me although some creep me out too

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  21. Alright, that's it, Suzan. I'm on my way to Montreal. Must see these! Beautiful post.

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  22. I love visiting churches and these are amazingly beautiful. The story of your Grandmother praying on each step is truly touching. I had to catch my breath when I read your words.

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  23. Superb tour of the city of churches!

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  24. Mark Twain summed it up pretty good. There's something about old buildings and old churches are always wonderful.
    Denise

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Due to a large amount of spam ( that I'm tired of going back to posts and deleting ) I'll be using comment moderation from now on !!!
Can I beat these spammers at their own game? Probably not - but I'm going
to try my damnedest !!!
xoxo