The facade of Montreal’s Notre-Dame Basilica has emerged from its scaffolding, with a Sunday concert marking the milestone, but restoration work for the two-century-old church isn’t set to wrap up for another decade.
Hundreds gathered Sunday afternoon in front of the neo-Gothic landmark, where a performance from the Société philharmonique du Nouveau Monde choir helped inaugurate the restored facade. The crowd then moved indoors, where Jean-Willy Kunz played an interlude on the basilica’s 7,000-pipe organ, followed by more singing from the choir.
Michel Brousseau conducts a choir in Montreal’s Notre-Dame Basilica during an event marking the unveiling of the building’s facade after years of restoration on Sunday, October 25, 2026. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette
Major restoration work began at the basilica in 2020. Much of it has centred on the two bell towers, where workers replaced some 3,000 stone blocks in each tower.
The upper third of both towers, which have been battered by wind, rain and snow in the decades since their 19th-century construction, required the most attention. The change is visible, with the newer stones at the top of those towers a paler grey than the original stones retained elsewhere.
“The upper part has been completely changed,” said Michel Issa, CEO of La Fabrique de la paroisse Notre-Dame de Montréal, the non-profit that operates the building.
The old stones “allowed a lot of water to infiltrate,” he said, which damaged the paint on the basilica’s walls.
Saadia Ahmad, left, and Claudine Tinio, visiting from Toronto, take a selfie in front of Montreal’s Notre-Dame Basilica after an event marking the unveiling of the facade after years of restoration on Sunday, October 25, 2026. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette
Estimated two years ago at $50 million, the price tag for the restoration has since ballooned to $100 million, Issa said, with around a fifth of the work now complete.
As Notre-Dame is one of Canada’s oldest neo-Gothic structures, Issa said restoration work aims to keep the church as close to its original state as possible. “You want to preserve the same look and feel of the basilica,” he said.
While the original stones were sourced from a long-shuttered Montreal quarry, replacement stones carted in from St-Marc-des-Carrières, 200 kilometres northeast of Montreal, are of a similar type.
People flood the street in front of Montreal’s Notre-Dame Basilica after an event marking the unveiling of the facade after years of restoration on Sunday, October 25, 2026. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette
The water damage was more serious than initially thought, Issa said, and future work could also reveal new issues.
Between the two towers and the rest of the facade, Issa said close to 10,000 stones have been replaced. Now, workers have turned to the church’s other sides, where they are expected to spend another four or five years restoring the exterior.
The inside of the church, with its deep blue vaulted ceiling and elaborate altarpiece, will also undergo extensive restoration.
“The ceiling of the basilica will require 10-storey-high scaffolding,” Issa said, which means the building will have to close for 12 to 18 months. The dates for that closure haven’t been set, he said.
The rest of the work on the interior, which Issa said will take around 10 years, won’t require the church to close.
A visitor takes a photo of the choir inside Montreal’s Notre-Dame Basilica during an event marking the unveiling of the building’s facade after years of restoration on Sunday, October 25, 2026. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette
While entry tickets and events cover many of the basilica’s expenses, the restoration’s high cost has required the church to solicit donations.
Issa made the plea to the crowd gathered out front Sunday. “We are the guardians of this extraordinary landmark and together, we have a responsibility to preserve it for future generations,” he said.
The church is also seeking corporate donations.
Though Notre-Dame holds more than a dozen masses a week, Issa said the church’s importance extends past its religious functions, pointing to the frequent concerts it hosts as an example.
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The sun peeks around Montreal’s Notre-Dame Basilica after an event marking the unveiling of the facade after years of restoration on Sunday, October 25, 2026. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette
A crowd listens to a choir under the direction of Michel Brousseau during an event marking the unveiling of Notre-Dame Basilica’s facade after years of restoration, in Montreal on Sunday, October 25, 2026. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette
A choir sings in Montreal’s Notre-Dame Basilica on Sunday, October 25, 2026. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette
People congregate in front of Montreal’s Notre-Dame Basilica on Sunday, October 25, 2026. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette