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An Important and Essential Project
The Oratory celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2004.
The buildings of worship – the basilica, the chapel, and the crypt – have been carefully maintained and restored over the years.
The original 1904 chapel built by Brother André is of great value to pilgrims. However, access can be difficult at times since the chapel is located on a slope.
Despite preventive maintenance and repairs, several buildings, such as the one wich Pilgrim Services are located can no longer meet the needs of an ever-increasing clientele. Buildings and roadways were laid out over half a century ago.
- The annual number of visitors to the site has increased from 500,000 to 2,000,000 in the past 20 years.
- These visitors now arrive in tour buses, cars, and taxis. The number of elderly visitors and visitors with limited mobility is also growing.
- Vehicles and pedestrians must intersect, making it difficult to ensure the safety of everyone.
- The main entrance was not designed to receive the number of visitors and vehicles that now pass through it every day.
The Sanctuary is built on the mountainside. Its current layout creates additional safety and circulation problems in bad weather, particularly during the winter.
It has become necessary to build new buildings and re-landscape the grounds to make the site safer and more functional. This will also allow us to serve our aging clientele and the disabled better.
These improvements must be carried out in accordance with an overall plan involving a critical path so that the Oratory is able to maintain its essential activities while proceeding with the construction.
A Restoration Project: Promoting our Assets
- Preserving our heritage. The redesigned layout of the site emphasizes the main buildings used for religious ceremonies: the basilica, the chapel, and the crypt. It also takes into account the site's location on the side of Mount Royal in a natural surroundimgs in a historical district.
- Functionality. The new additions and layout will improve the safety of the growing numbers of visitors providing a more plesant visit for all.
- Accessibility. The renovations and development will sificantly improve access for all visitors, whether alone or in groups, especially for the eldery and those with limited mobility.
- Safety. Roads and footpaths will be redesigned to improve the flow of pedestrians and cars in and out of the grounds and to keep pedestrian and motor vehicle traffic separate.
- Tourist attraction. The area between the outer dome and inner dome will be completed the carillon will be relocated to improve the quality of its acoustics; the museums will be modernized and the library will be made more accessible to researchers and the public.
- Comfort. The new layout will greatly improve the flow of visitor movement, regardless of group size or the purpose for the visit: pilgrimage, sight-seeing, prayer, quiet time, or simply coming to admire the beauty of the Oratory and its surroundings.
- The natural environment. The restoration project not only preserves but also increases the amount of green space, including the number of tree, shrubs, flowers, and hedges while reducing the asphalted areas.
- The cost of the project. The work will cost approximately $75 million in all. This includes the construction of new buildings, the new roadway layout, and the restoration and renovation of the buildings and the site, as well as the work on the basilica.
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