Built between 1824 and 1829, the dramatic Notre-Dame Basilica is a masterpiece of Gothic Revival architecture. The magnificent wooden interior, swathed in deep blues and golds, draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Behind the basilica lies the more modern-looking Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Coeur Chapel, which was reconstructed after a fire in 1978. Paintings, sculptures and stained-glass windows illustrate biblical passages as well as 350 years of parish history. In the evening, a sound-and-light show presents the founding of Montréal and the Notre-Dame Basilica. It is a Christmastime tradition among Montrealers to attend the annual performance of Handel’s Messiah.