Mary Queen of the World Cathedral

Nestled among busy office buildings in Montréal’s downtown core, lies Mary Queen of the World Cathedral, the third largest church in Québec after Saint Joseph’s Oratory and the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré.

Built at the end of the 19^th century in the heart of what was then the city's Anglo-Protestant sector, this ornate Renaissance cathedral is replica of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, a departure from the Gothic Revival style so popular at the time.

Covering nearly 4,700 square meters, the cathedral is built in the shape of a Latin cross, with a large portico built in coursed ashlar and topped by a green copper dome. From high above, statues of the patron saints from Montréal’s thirteen parishes watch over all who enter.

Inside, a superb Baroque Revival baldachin in red copper and gold leaf overlooks the high altar. In the transept, paintings by Georges Delfosse illustrate the historic beginnings of Montréal while numerous works throughout bear witness to the city’s religious legacy.

In 1919, Pope Benedict XV conferred the title of Minor Basilica on Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur Cathedral, renamed to Mary Queen of the World Cathedral in 1955. The splendid bishops’ mortuary chapel was inaugurated in 1933.