After close to ten years behind scaffolding, the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal is preparing for the grand unveiling of its facade, scheduled for October 25.
asserted
Basilica → prepare → October
While the restoration of the facade is complete, the basilica still has several years of work ahead of it.
asserted
basilica → have → it
About 20 per cent of the necessary work has been completed, said Michel Issa, executive director of the Fabrique de la paroisse Notre-Dame de Montréal.
asserted
Issa → complete → Montréal
He estimates that work on the exterior of the church will take four years, but said this figure may be optimistic.
uncertain
figure → estimate → years
The interior restoration of the basilica might take another five to ten years, he said.
uncertain
he → take → years
The total cost of the restoration will add up to $100 million, said Issa.
asserted
Issa → add → million
To fund this work, the basilica organizes benefit concerts, generates revenue from its coffee shop, Le Firmament, and holds fundraisers.
asserted
basilica → fund → fundraisers
The latest fundraising campaign is based on a new idea: leaving a virtual mark on the church’s stones.
asserted
campaign → base → stones
Donors have the option to “sponsor a stone” and inscribe a digital message on the building’s facade.
asserted
Donors → have → facade
“We would have liked to engrave the stones themselves, but unfortunately, that’s a logistical nightmare that’s impossible to pull off,” said Issa, adding that the process would reduce the stones’ durability.
asserted
process → like → durability
Get daily National news
The messages will be viewable using a cellphone directly on the church’s facade via augmented reality, or elsewhere by projecting a model of the facade onto a flat surface.
asserted
messages → get → surface
Issa compared this augmented reality process to the one used by the viral app Pokemon Go.
asserted
Issa → compare → app
People can already sponsor a stone, but the messages will not be viewable until early 2027.
asserted
messages → sponsor → 2027
The renovations come with this steep price tag because they involve the entire structure of the basilica.
asserted
they → come → basilica
“All the masonry in the building needs to be reinforced and restored,” said Mathieu Verreault, director of tourism and operations for the basilica.
asserted
Verreault → need → basilica
“After years of freezing and thawing, the stone has cracked in several places.”
asserted
stone → crack → places
The stones used to build the basilica came from an old quarry in the Mile End neighbourhood of Montreal.
asserted
stones → use → Montreal
Those placed higher up were salvaged from the bottom of the quarry and were of lower quality, said Verreault.
asserted
Verreault → place → quality
On top of that, some were placed “the wrong way.”
asserted
some → place → that
“It’s sedimentary stone, so there are layers, and they have to be laid horizontally.
asserted
they → ’ → ?
If you lay them vertically, the stones are more permeable to rain,” he said.
asserted
he → lay → rain
Some of the mortar that held the stones in place was also replaced with epoxy, which put greater pressure on the stones.
asserted
which → hold → stones
“People were doing the best they could with the knowledge they had at the time, and, of course, in the long run, all these choices — which have proven questionable over time — have led to the situation we see today,” said Verreault.
uncertain
Verreault → do → situation
These exterior weaknesses also affect the interior, with water infiltration and moisture problems leading, for example, to the deterioration of painted decorations.
asserted
infiltration → affect → decorations
These are not being repainted.
asserted
These → repaint → ?
Instead, the parish is attempting to reattach each flake of paint.
asserted
parish → attempt → paint
“(It’s) very labour-intensive, very time-consuming, but it’s best practice in heritage conservation,” said Verreault.
asserted
Verreault → ’ → conservation
The basilica’s star-studded blue vault is among the sections that will need to be restored.
asserted
that → need → sections
“We’re talking about scaffolding about ten storeys high, which means our concerts and tours will most likely be interrupted,” which will cut off the church’s revenue, said Issa.
asserted
Issa → talk → revenue
If all this work is not done, the deterioration threatens to progress exponentially, causing even more problems in the future.
asserted
deterioration → do → future
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 10, 2026.
asserted
report → publish → Press
The Aporia
