Template:POTD/2020-10-16
Notre-Dame Basilica is a Catholic basilica in the historic district of Old Montreal, in Montreal, the most populous city in Quebec, Canada. The main construction work took place between 1824 and 1829; the sanctuary was finished in 1830, the first tower in 1841, and the second in 1843. The Irish-American architect James O'Donnell designed the towers to be traditionally Gothic, and intended them to be visible from any point in the city. On its completion, the church was the largest in North America, and remained so for over fifty years. The interior of the church, shown here, is amongst the most dramatic in the world and regarded as a masterpiece of Gothic Revival architecture. The vaults are coloured deep blue and decorated with golden stars, and the rest of the sanctuary is decorated in blues, azures, reds, purples, silver, and gold. It is filled with hundreds of intricate wooden carvings and several religious statues.Photograph credit: David Iliff