photo: Joseph Yarmush

Explainer ascends the peak for the details on a Montreal landmark.

1. The cross was erected on Mount Royal in 1924 by the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste after a fundraising campaign. The idea for it came from Sulpician Pierre Dupaigne, and the plans were created by architects Gascon and Parent. The cross is meant to recall January 6, 1643, when Montreal's founder, Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve, looked out at the colony of Ville-Marie and the bulging riverbanks that threatened it. Pleading with the Virgin Mary to save the colony from flooding, he promised to carry a wooden cross to Mount Royal if they survived. They were saved, and he erected a wooden cross on the mountain. Today's metallic cross is 102 feet high and 30 feet wide, and it can be seen for 40 miles when lit. In 2000 it was voted number 9 on a Gazette and Greater Montreal Convention and Tourism Bureau survey of Montreal's top landmarks. The Olympic Tower was voted number 1 (!).

2. Last Wednesday ownership of the cross was officially transferred from the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste to the City of Montreal. Ever since its erection in 1924, the city has been responsible for paying the maintenance costs of the cross. The city says that with full ownership it can now commence renovations on the cross. Ownership was transferred free of charge.

3. The original 1924 cross required 240 50-watt bulbs to keep it lit. In 1992 a set of fibre-optic lights were installed to ease maintenance and improve visibility. The lights are usually white, though the colours have been changed to mark certain events. They turned blue in 1975 to mark Saint-Jean-Baptiste festivities, and were made red in the '80s to raise awareness for AIDS. The only other colour the lights can turn is purple, which will only happen when the Pope dies.

 
 

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Mount-Royal #1 Landmark     First of all, Mr. Silverman's heading says "The Future of Mount-Royal Cross" and I really didn't realize there wasn't a lot to tell about its future until I finished reading the article. I thought something big was going to happen! Well it will still lay on top of the mountain; that's good news, I guess... Now if you ask me, the number 1 landmark is the Mountain itself. Of course, the cross conveys a message of hope and community effort, but what doesn't in Montreal? Montrealers are nice, optimistic people. Everyone knows that. However, we look back at the ziggurats and pyramids and learn why they were built and how. Those landmarks are full of meaning. This Cross or, for that matter, any other landmark set in the modern or contemporary western society means little to me compared to those. The Olympic Stadium? Built what for? Just another piece of junk to attract tourism. Are those times in which civilization was in full contact with its surroundings over? Instead of just wasting money taking care of or building fake, expressionless landmarks, we should first learn how to appreciate what we already have: we are surrounded by beautiful rivers and lakes, we have admirable parks and green spaces, and most important, there is a mountain in the middle of the city!! That is something you really cannot see anywhere else. Anyways... yada. If I had to choose between the Cross and the Olympic Stadium, I'd definitely keep the cross. After all, it does tell a lot about the history of Montreal and its beginnings as a religious centre in North America. In 1000 years, people will probably look at the cross, wonder why it's there, and try to find out answers to their questions. If it ever makes it that long without collapsing, will the Olympic Stadium mean anything to them? Probably not.
Ezequiel Gerszonowitz	{37 votes}	June 18th, 2004
Childhood Imagery     That cross has been a part of my consciousness since childhood. It is without a doubt an integral part of the Montreal psyche. However, we would adapt if it came down. There may come a time when the religious associations are too uncomfortable to bear. It's not like the cross represents freedom or anything grand like that. What was it someone said? If Jesus was crucified in the 20th century, we'd carry little images of electric chairs around our necks. The cross is a 2000 year old electric chair, and this one's even an electric cross! The more I think about it the more I think they should tear the damn thing down. Put up a big electric heart instead. Or a happy face. Of course the happy face might make folks think about drugs instead of passing on a smile. But you get the idea. What about an icon that actually represents human kindness, instead of cruelty? I guess that would be in an alternate universe, where people in governments large and small actually cared about the positive benefit to the population, instead of lining their own pockets at the expense of tax payers, awarding contracts to secret high bidders, using crappy materials in their playgrounds, etc. That will probably come in an era in which the supremacy of The System is washed over by a value which includes each member of a population, instead of the systems that run it. Oh well, I can dream.
Thomas Bauer	{2 votes}	July 26th, 2004
Awe inspiring     For those of you who were born and raised in Montreal, I can see how the cross might be something that's just "matter-of-fact". Something that is never thought of, not appreciated or thought of as a waste of money. A lot of us in Louisville, Kentucky take for granted places like Churchill Downs. It's hard for me to fathom how so many people from around the globe can fill our city that one day a year just to watch the Kentucky Derby. To me, it's exciting but it is rather a pain to fight all the tourists just to move around the city. When I came to Montreal this past week, I had read about Mount Royal and the cross (and the story of it) and that was one of the things I wanted to experience. So my partner and I walked from the bottom to the top to see the cross and the wonderful view of the city. What a glorious sight that was. We took pictures of the city and of that cross that you take for granted. Unfortunately, we did not get to see it lit up. Your city does have such a strong religious tradition to be proud of and the cross is a part of that. Thank you for sharing!
Ellen Gardner	{2 votes}	July 26th, 2004
Markers for dying beliefs     The cross is definitely a keeper in the city just because it has been here for so long and to remove it will be a crime. But the faiths of thousands of people is no longer there for organized religion and I am one of those people. Religion has lost much of the meaning in my life except at the core level because I like many others do not attend a regular church service not even at Christmas when most people do go. I am not sure what is behind other peoples need to stop attend church is but I know that mine has been not so much a loss in faith but a new way of worship that better suits my lifestyle. I feel that one can keep their faith but not need to have the need to be in a building to do so. Worship for me happens in my own time in my own head where I can take what I want from religion and leave what I do not like about it out. I find the cross on the mountain a great reminder for me about my faith and its outside workings. It is one of things that I am proud to see on the horizion of Montreal and I hope that it not only stays but is improved to encourage others to still at least believe and work towards the finer points that religion has while avoiding some of the negitive ones that are also there.
Joshua Martin	{2 votes}	July 12th, 2004
A cross is a cross is a cross?     Most of us don't know why it's really there. Most of us frankly don't care. It's a landmark, if nothing else it's THE Montreal landmark if for no other reason than it's undeniably just there for all to see. Day or night. So the ownership of the cross was transferred to the city by the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste...and? I'm sorry but it seems to me that not too many people are going to care about this detail as long as the cross stays put. People knock it that it's a glorified erecto set with lights and that it symbolizes something rather dubious depending on your race & creed. It symbolizes hope, strength and survival. Ok, sure, maybe to some but I doubt you'll find too many natives holed up on reservations who look upon it with the same awe when they visit this city. It's not the prettiest or most ornate site Montreal has to offer but it's a part of us whether we like it or not.
Pedro Eggers	{4 votes}	June 24th, 2004
Thanks for the clarification     I had always wondered about the cross' significance and had heard many contradictory ideas about its purpose on the hill. If anything, I am glad that this brief write-up helped clarify the mystery. I am glad to know that despite its original purpose its lights have changed to shed light, so to say, on many of the issues which have affected the world and/or the province uniquely: AIDS, Saint-Jean-Baptiste festivities etc as stated in the article. I'm sure that more than anything it is the cross' historic meaning and its representation of Quebec's deep Catholic roots that intrigue people and make it an important landmark in Montreal
Antoinette Davis	{5 votes}	June 22nd, 2004
The Cross is no Masterpiece     The Cross on Mount Royal just looks like an oversized Mecano set and detracts from the lush green surroundings. It is even less important now because religious observance is much less important in Montreal with churches closing all the time. The wooden crosses found along Gouin Boulevard are much more interesting and fit in with the surroundings. The Watch Tower in the Old Port is a much more important landmark because water transport will always have its place in Montreal. I have often walked to the top and was able to see the city from a great vantage point. On a hot summer day the cool breezes on top would be most welcome. If there was a staircase to the top of Mount Royal Cross, this would be most attractive to tourists. The Eiffel Tower in Paris is not just one huge metal sculpture but can be climbed.
Stephen Talko	{4 votes}	June 21st, 2004
Ah, the cross     As a mcgill student in Upper Res during my first year, i often joked about the cross; "that the lord was watching over me every night", and that its light, although at the time was what seemed to be omnipresent, really just acted as a candle over the crest of the mountain. As it's lights blared nightly, i couldnt help but take pictures of it and the surrounding changes in the scenery throughout the year. And of course, i did quite enjoy the occasional conversation about it's, at times, eerie presence. But as i look back at "the cross" today, it echos like an old song striking nostalgia. I think for many people, the cross evokes similar feelings of the past, or of a history. So for what its worth, i hope it stays, because as far as im concerned, its part of the mountain, and accordingly so, part of montreal.
Cyrus Salek	{2 votes}	June 20th, 2004
It's not exactly the Eiffel tower     I'm sorry, but I find it hard to get excited about the cross at the top of Mount Royal. It doesn't even come with a name, does it? It's just the cross at the top of Mount Royal. When someone asks me about the city, it's not something I even think about mentioning. If they're really interested in religious iconography, I might mention St-Joseph's Oratory or the Notre-Dame Basilica. The cross on Mount Royal? Yeah, it's there I guess. Probably wastes a bunch of electricity, but it's better than the neon signs on strip clubs. You can see it at night from some spots if there are no skyscrapers in the way. But it's hardly an awe-inspiring architectural acheivement. Oh well, better than the Big O, I suppose.
Karen Sollazzo	{9 votes}	June 17th, 2004
A Powerful Symbol     The Mount Royal Cross symbolizes many things about Montreal, but mainly it symbolizes our religious background, and I'm proud to say it is a known landmark to represent Montreal. I'm not a religious person, but no one can deny that Montreal was founded on religion, and all one has to do is look at our many beautiful churches to understand that. As a kid growing up, I didn't appreciate the churches throughout the neighbourhoods, and assumed that all cities are like this. Only as an adult, after having travelled some, do I realize that our churches are unique, and them, along with our cross on the mountain, are pieces of the puzzle that make Montreal so special. I hope the city of Montreal keeps the cross glowing on our mountain for many years to come
Jessica McGillis	{12 votes}	June 17th, 2004
Cross purposes     What is the point of this article? Clearly, it does not have a beginning, middle or significant end. Why -as in why is it newsworthy? Where did you get your historical facts? How do you know what Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve prayed to the Virgin Mary for...what are your sources?
Heather Lee		June 21st, 2004
City Has A Cross To Bear...     Well, if the city of Montreal can spend $60,000 of taxpayers money on expense that a political party incurred, I'm sure they can cough up the price of the light bulbs. I just hope they can put in the flourescent ones which are more economical to burn longer and use less energy. Think they'll be able to make a bright decisision??
Joyce Stemkowski	{2 votes}	June 20th, 2004
Holy marketing!     I don't really care who 'owns' it so long as it stays put. It's a part of our cultural heritage and a great tourist magnet. You don't need to be Catholic to appreciate it's importance or its simple beauty. It's as much a part of this city as the Old Port or smoked meat.
Juana Cabezas	{10 votes}	June 18th, 2004

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