What I Found Inside Montreal’s Most Mysterious Church

If you’ve ever searched for things to do in Montreal or wondered about St. Joseph’s Oratory history, you’ll want to see this. I visited St. Joseph’s Oratory on Mount Royal to follow a 1953 View-Master reel—and discovered a real human heart on display. This Catholic shrine, the largest church in Canada, is dedicated to Saint André Bessette, a humble porter turned healer whose legacy draws over two million visitors a year. In this video, I explore the story of Brother André, known for his miraculous healings using oil and prayer, and the fascinating journey of how he helped build this massive basilica. You’ll see the Votive Chapel with 10,000 candles, Brother André’s tomb, the original chapel he founded, and the mysterious wax figure made from a death mask. Most astonishing of all is the preserved heart of Brother André, which was once stolen in 1973 and later recovered—an incredible true story I detail step by step. Whether you’re interested in religious relics, Catholic saints, or Montreal travel history, this video takes you deep inside one of the most unique spiritual landmarks in North America. Subscribe to View Master Travels for more adventures where I match vintage View-Master reels to real-world locations and uncover the surprising stories behind them. 00:00 - Introduction 01:17 - St. Joseph’s Oratory 02:30 - Introducing Brother Andre 04:42 - Entering the Votive Chapel 05:25 - Brother Andre’s Tomb 05:37 - The Crypt Church 06:42 - Non Cult Trial 07:45 - Ex Voto 08:33 - Blessed Vegetable Oil 08:57 - The Cave 09:28 - Wax Brother Andre 11:21 - A Human Heart on Display 12:17 - Heart Heist! 14:02 - Original Chapel 15:28 - The Basilica Sound effect credits: Empty Church: https://freesound.org/s/788451/ Church with a Few People: https://freesound.org/s/637118/ Heart beat: https://freesound.org/s/614938/ People in Old Church: https://freesound.org/s/442542/ Church ambience high crowd: https://freesound.org/s/399595/ Basement room tone: https://freesound.org/s/739809/ Stedelijk #3: https://freesound.org/s/48273/ Montreal traffic in the city: https://freesound.org/s/637894/ Image Credits: St. Joseph’s Oratory from the air: L’Oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal Picture of Filippelli: www.lapresse.ca Petrucci Advertisement from https://extranet.puq.ca/media/produit... French book describing the non-cult trial: Robillard, Denise, 2005, Les merveilles de l’Oratoire Details of healings: https://lactualite.com/societe/frere-... Much knowledge gained from: https://saint-joseph.org/en/ MUSIC: Chorale No. 1 by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... The Angels Weep by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...