On December 17, 2017, Saint Joseph’s Oratory commemorates the 100 th anniversary of the Crypt Church, the place where Brother André so often prayed, kneeling behind the large statue of Saint Joseph, and which remains at the heart of the shrine to this day. Brother André’s presence, his welcome, and his prayers have made the Crypt Church a favored place for devotion to Saint Joseph. To access it, a tradition continues at the Oratory: many pilgrims climb the 100 wooden steps on their knees in a gesture of prayer.

• Construction began: May 1915
• Inauguration: December 16, 1917
• Consecration: August 9, 1943
• Dimensions
  • Length: 63.39 m (208 ft)
  • Width: 36.5 m (120 ft)
  • Height: 13.1 m (42 ft)

• Seating capacity: 1000 people

Discover in the Crypt Church

We invite you to discover here some of the most beautiful and significant works housed in the Crypt Church. The Crypt Church is distinguished by its oak woodwork, its lighting fixtures, and the ornate arches of its vault. It is equipped with several side chapels and a roof screen.  Erected according to the plans of Dalbé Viau and Alphonse Venne, this church is part of a vast architectural complex in the neoclassical style. Its exterior is clad in stone.

The choir was redesigned in 1966 according to the plans of the artist decorator Jean-Charles Charuest. He also designed in white marble the ambo, the altar, and the tabernacle colonnade.

The statue of Our Lady of the Assumption was offered by Acadian benefactors in 1921.

The 2.75-meter (9-foot) statue of Saint Joseph placed at the center of the choir was carved from Carrara marble by the Italian artist A. Giacomini in 1917. The ‘’Glory’’ (golden rays) followed a few years later.

The three stained glass windows above the statue of Saint Joseph represent, from left to right, Our Lady of Sorrows, Saint Joseph, and the Sacred Heart.

The statue of Saint Francis de Sales, who in the 17th century had a particular devotion to Saint Joseph.

The statue of Saint Teresa of Avila, a great propagator of the cult of Saint Joseph in the 16th century.

The design of the tabernacle was entrusted to Jean-Charles Charuest in 1966, and the sculptor Jordi Bonet created the ceramic walls of the Eucharistic reserve.

The large crucifix is continually venerated by believers who pray by touching the feet of Jesus.

The statue of Saint Brother André collects prayer intention notes placed by pilgrims at its feet.

The chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe features the stained glass window Jesus in the midst of the doctors.

The chapel dedicated to the Sacred Heart features the bust of the founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, Father Basile-Antoine Moreau, CSC., as well as the stained glass window The Holy Family in Nazareth.

The painted plaster Way of the Cross, imitating bronze, lines the nave, and a large crucifix completes it.

The Casavant organ was installed in 1918 by the renowned Casavant Frères of Saint-Hyacinthe.

The two small stained glass windows on each side of the organ date back to 1990. They were designed by Father André Bergeron, CSC, to pay tribute to two Holy Cross brothers who made a remarkable contribution to the Oratory.

The chapel dedicated to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux houses the statue of Mother Marie- Léonie Paradis and the stained glass window The Imposition of the Name of Jesus.

The fresco by the artist Henri Charlier depicts The death of Saint Joseph.

The chapel of Saint Anne features the stained glass window The birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ.