Detail of the gilded reredos and statuary against the cobalt-blue starry vault of Notre-Dame Basilica Montréal

Notre-Dame Basilica Montréal: Architecture, History and the Story Behind the Blue Ceiling

Updated May 2026 · Notre-Dame Montréal Tickets Concierge Team

James O'Donnell and the Gothic Revival design

The polychrome interior — Father Rousselot's commission

The Casavant Frères organ

Sacré-Cœur Chapel — the 1978 fire and the rebuilding

Why blue, gold and red — the symbolism of the colours