Notre-Dame Basilica undergoes $50 million restoration

Stone by stone, Montreal's Notre-Dame Basilica is getting a major makeover.

“We’ve now started the dismantling of the east tower,” explains Project Manager Hugo Latremouille. “It’s around 2,000 stones per tower.”

Latremouille is with Rainville et Frères, the construction company carrying out the first three phases of the project.

It took three years to restore the west tower of the iconic church in Old Montreal.

The $50 million project is expected to last at least another 15 years.

“It was paramount to do this work at this moment because we've been maintaining [the basilica] for a while now but we needed to actually make those changes,” says Director of Tourism with La Fabrique de la paroisse Notre-Dame de Montréal, Mathieu Verreault.

Quebec's Religious Heritage Council has earmarked $1 million for the first phase of the work. The rest of the cost is being covered by La Fabrique, the non-profit that runs the basilica.

The organization’s Executive Director, Michel Issa, says they largely rely on donations in order to restore the 200-year-old building.

“In 1824, we put the first stone and [the basilica] was finished in 1829,” he says. “So we'll be celebrating our anniversary this year.”

Two centuries of wear, water infiltration, and frigid winter climate have taken a toll on the building.

The exterior stones, which weigh 150 to 300 pounds apiece, have to be individually removed with a crane. Each one is then inspected to see if it needs to be repaired or replaced.

It's a complex operation, says Daniel Durand, one of the architects with the DFS firm overseeing the project.

“We're going to have to replace more than expected at the beginning of our investigation,” he adds.

In 2017, architects found much of the exterior stonework at the top of the towers was in an advanced state of deterioration.

While the east tower is set to be done in 2026, repairing the east facade on Saint-Sulpice Street is expected to end in 2027.

The eight phases of the exterior restoration work should be completed by 2035.

Issa believes the project is worth every penny.

“It is one of the most visited landmarks in Montreal,” he says. “On a yearly basis, we have over a million visitors who visit the basilica.”

The Executive Director adds that construction isn't deterring sightseers.

Once the exterior restoration is completed, work will start on the inside of the church.

Repairs will include reinforcing thinning stained-glass windows and updating fading paint.

The work is set to take place over the span of 15 years.

After which, no repairs are anticipated for at least another 200 years.