Saint Joseph's Oratory oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal
Saint Joseph's Oratory is a Catholic national shrine, minor basilica, and museum dedicated to Saint Joseph. This Italian Renaissance style building, constructed with granite and copper, is a national historic site of Canada and part of a Quebec heritage property. It is the 24th most looked-up sight in Canada on English Wikipedia and is part of the Mont-Royal Heritage Site.
Planning a visit
The weather in Montreal varies by season. The warmest months are July and August, with average highs between 24 °C and 25 °C. The coldest month is January, where temperatures can drop to a low of -14 °C. Rainfall occurs throughout the year, with about 10 to 16 rainy days per month. The wettest periods are in the summer, with June, July, and August seeing between 108 mm and 110 mm of rain. The site is 10 km from Montreal / Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) and 162 km from Ottawa.
The 105-meter-long building was designed by architects Dalbé Viau, Lucien Parent, Gérard Notebaert, and Jean-Claude Leclerc and is operated by the Congregation of the Holy Cross. Visitors can combine their trip with nearby locations such as the Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral (3.9 km), Notre-Dame Basilica (4.9 km), and Old Montreal (5.0 km). Other nearby sights include Habitat 67 (5.7 km) and the Montreal Biosphere (7.1 km). The site is wheelchair accessible.
Weather by month
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 25 °C. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high, °C | -5 | -3 | 3 | 11 | 18 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 20 | 12 | 6 | -1 |
| Average low, °C | -14 | -12 | -6 | 1 | 8 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 6 | 0 | -9 |
| Rainfall, mm | 81 | 70 | 72 | 92 | 96 | 108 | 108 | 110 | 101 | 105 | 105 | 96 |
| Rainy days | 14 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 |
Temperatures and rainfall: 1981–2010 averages for this spot (4 km grid), from CHELSA. Rainy days: 2015–2024, NASA POWER.
