A reclining cross that pays homage to a piece of a 1970s outdoor art exhibit has been installed at the foot of Mount Royal.
The cross was the brainchild of Pierre Ayot, and was initially erected in front of McGill University as part of the Corridart project in 1976.
Ayot's widow Madeleine Forcier tells CTV her late husband would be happy and grateful to see the cross restored. While the cross isn't in its original location, Forcier says it can be seen on Mount Royal as well as from the ground.
The original cross and other works of art that ran along Sherbrooke Street from McGill to the Olympic Stadium were taken down by then-Montreal mayor Jean Drapeau, prompting calls of censorship from artists. Drapeau called the works "indecent" because some criticized the over-spending of the upcoming Summer Olympic Games, while others were deemed "a threat to safety".
Curator Nicolas Mavrikakis worked with Plateau borough officials for two years to arrange for a replica of the cross to be put up. But last month, the city of Montreal withdrew a $10,000 subsidy, calling the planned location of the cross "inappropriate" and that the project lacked "social acceptability".
The subsidy was eventually restored after nuns from a nearby convent withdrew their opposition to the cross, initially saying if the work was installed near the convent, it would partially block buildings representing Montreal's cultural and religious history.
It will remain at the bottom of Mount Royal until mid-December.