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Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal Welcome Pavilion

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The famed Renaissance revival basilica of Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal has received a contemporary addition 121 years after its founding. Rather than compete with the existing architecture, Lemay designed a welcome pavilion and translucent bell tower that recede into the landscape. The two million tourists who make the pilgrimage annually now enter through a reception area sculpted directly into the hillside and ascend to the oratory via escalator past walls clad in stone drawn from the excavation itself. On the way, they can view the site’s original carillon behind the bell tower’s glass, which is etched with abstract musical notation — a nod to the venue’s schedule of choral performances.

Team: Yanick Casault, Pierre E. Leclerc, Andrew King, Ricardo Serrano, Ramzi Bosha, Myriam Perreault, Éric St-Pierre, Sammy Camacho, Nadine Chartouni, Chloé Lavoie, Karen Piché, Mathieu Cloutier, James Sunderland, Marianne Yanni, Alexandre Di Bartolo, Hugo Lafrance, Jean-Pierre Tamine (Lemay); BPA; ELEMA experts-conseils; MHA; Version Paysage; KJA; Patrick Macoska; Pomerleau