Denomination: CATHOLIC

Grand Séminaire Chapel
2065 Sherbrooke West, Montreal (Quebec) H3H 1G6

Photo: C. Turmel

he Fort de la Montagne Domain Until 1676, the grounds on which the Grand Séminaire is located today were part of a property owned by the Sulpicians, seigneurs on the island of Montreal, that was used to supply them with firewood. In 1676, the Séminaire decided to establish a mission on the property for the Natives who were then occupying a site in Ville-Marie on Saint-Paul Street. The construction of a fort was subsequently undertaken for this purpose.

In 1685, Monsieur de Belmont converted the fort into a stone enclosure flanked by stone walls and four bastions. This was intended to protect women and children in case of an attack. The fort had already been attacked on several occasions. In the centre of the fort, a beautiful stone house occupies the centre of the fort. Surrounded by orchards and cultivated fields, a dovecote, a fish pond "covered with ducks, domestic and wild geese," and a beautiful fountain also shared this interior space. Natives cultivated lands made available to them.

owever, because of various incidents including the fire on September 11, 1694, which destroyed the residences of the Natives, the mission was moved to Sault-au-Récollet. At the time of the fire, 222 people were housed in 43 cabins and 13 loghouses. The gradual relocation of the Natives which had already began in 1692 was completed in 1705. Two stone towers along Sherbrooke Street are all that remain of the 17th-century Native mission. The nuns from the Congrégation de Notre-Dame had given instruction to young Native girls in the west tower and had lived in the east tower.

fter the departure of the Natives, the Sulpicians used the fort as a country house during the summer months. Access was provided by a road which later became Du Fort Street. Keeping the orchards, the wine press, the lime kiln and a small meadow for themselves, the Sulpicians used the remainder for agricultural purposes with some of the land rented to farmers.

Garden Photo: C. Turmel

View of the canal before restoration Photo: C. Turmel

In 1801, the beauty of the garden was enhanced by the digging of a canal measuring 158,5 m (520 ft.) long by 7,6 m (25 ft.) wide. Supplied by natural springs and surrounded by beautiful landscapes, this long basin still runs through one of the oldest gardens in North America.

he Grand Séminaire
In 1840, an agreement between the Bishop of Montreal, Monseigneur Ignace Bourget and the Compagnie de Saint-Sulpice, established the Grand Séminaire for the training of priests. During its first years from 1840 to 1857, the new institution was temporarily housed in the former Collège de Montréal, located at the time on Saint-Paul Street West. After some hesitation about the site, it was decided in 1854 to build the Grand Séminaire on the property de la Montagne, after the plans of John Ostell. Forming a "U" shape, the central body and two wings surrounded the house of Monsieur Vachon de Belmont (demolished in 1860). The first seminarians arrived in 1857.

n 1875, the increasing number of new seminarians necessitated the construction of a 120-foot extension in the west. The construction of the Grand Séminaire and of a French mansard roof were rebuilt to add another 80 rooms. The institution was then able to house 220 seminarians. This work was carried out under the direction of architect Henri Maurice Perrault nephew of John Ostell and nephew.
In 1901, the growing number for seminarians necessitated another extension to the main body towards the west (an addition of 64 rooms and a large exercise hall). At the time, the Grand Séminaire housed approximately 300 students, half of whom were French-speaking, coming from 43 Canadian and American dioceses. Finally, for the centennial in 1940, the Alumni Association provided the funds to construct the Centennial Wing designed by architect Paul M. Lemieux. The new wing consists of the recreation room and the lecture hall.

Collège of Montreal Photo: C. Turmel

he Collège de Montréal In 1861, the British army requisitioned the Collège de Montréal building located on Saint-Paul Street to house soldiers. From 1861 until 1870, the Grand Séminaire and the Collège once again shared the same building, this time on Sherbrooke Street. The blind windows in the upper part of the chapel give away the former location of the dormitory.

rchitect Henri Maurice Perreault was commissioned to build the new Collège de Montréal to the east of the Grand Séminaire by extending the main body of the building using the same architectural elements (1868-1871). The chapel of the Collège, executed by architects Victor Bourgeau and Alcibiade Leprohon, was added in 1881.

he Chapel of the Grand Séminaire At the beginning of the 20th century, the chapel had become too confining and did not properly accommodate the liturgical practices. The construction of the new chapel on the site of the previous one, was contracted to architect J. Omer Marchand, the first Canadian to ever graduate from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1903. Modelled after the great basilicas, the majestic and imposing chapel is one of the most outstanding buildings in Montreal. The former exterior walls were retained but extended towards Sherbrooke Street by two windows and an apse. The chapel was inaugurated in 1907.

Chevet of the chapel Photo: C. Turmel

he Training of Priests The Grand Séminaire offers a theological education to future lay priests from many dioceses throughout Canada and elsewhere and to members of various religious orders. In those days, candidates for the priesthood were only admitted to the Grand Séminaire after they had completed the classics program which was comprised of two years of philosophy. The program in theology took four years. Today, candidates can be admitted after college and the program consists of two years of philosophy followed by three years of theological studies. Since 1979, the Grand Séminaire has been affiliated with the Faculty of Theology of the Lateran Pontifical University in Rome.

Photo: C. Turmel

East tower Photo: François Barre

Photo: C. Turmel

he two 17th-century towers and the surrounding area within a 500-foot radius were classified in 1974 as historic monuments by the Government of Quebec. In 1982, the entire site (the Grand Séminaire, the Collège de Montréal, and the adjacent grounds) was declared an historic site.

he restoration and gradual redevelopment of the property are being carried out as a collaborative effort between the Compagnie de Saint-Sulpice and the Ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec. The towers were restored in 1986. The gardens at the main entrance to the Grand Séminaire were inaugurated in May 1990 and, in the new site, the location of the former exterior stone walls is marked by hedges. Lastly, an informative panel on Sherbrooke Street familiarizes passers-by with the general history of the site.

Text: Claude Turmel

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