Located on the northwest slope of Mount Royal, overlooking downtown Montreal, St. Joseph's Oratory is visited by millions of pilgrims each year. It is the largest shrine in the world dedicated to Saint Joseph, who is the patron saint of Canada. Begun in 1924, the basilica was completed in 1967. To give an idea of the size of this huge church, the diameter of the dome is 125 feet. Within a votive chapel in the basilica are buried the remains of Brother Andre, the Holy Cross brother who served as the doorkeeper at Notre Dame College, across from the Oratory, for over 40 years. Brother Andre (1845-1937) had a great devotion to St. Joseph and was the driving force behind the construction of the Oratory. Many miraculous cures were attributed to his intercession with St. Joseph. Blessed Brother Andre was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1982.