Brother Andre (real name Andre Besette) is credited with thousands of miraculous healings. He attributed these miracles to St Joseph, the legal father of Jesus. 

In 1904 Andre built a small wooden chapel on Mont Royal. Once he got the blessing of the Pope, things accelerated and in 1924 construction started on what would become the largest basilica in Canada. In 1967 the Saint Joseph Oratory was finally completed. 

The imposing dome reaches a height of almost 100 meters and the church can easily house 10.000 worshippers.

Inside is a large statue of St Joseph and a wall with crutches, outside is a special staircase with 99 steps that pilgrims can climb on their knees, saying a prayer at every single step.

Brother Andre died in 1937 and was buried in a crypt inside the Oratory. In 2010 Pope Benedict XVI declared him Saint Andre de Montreal.
Andre's preserved heart was stolen in 1973 but the church refused to pay a ransom. A year later the heart was found back intact.

We visited the Oratory in September 2017.