The Château Ramezay is a museum and historic building on
Notre-Dame Street
Notre-Dame Street (officially in french: Rue Notre-Dame) is a historic east-west street located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It runs parallel to the Saint Lawrence River, from Lachine to the eastern tip of the island in Pointe-aux-Trembles, ...
in
Old Montreal
Old Montreal (French: ''Vieux-Montréal'') is a historic neighbourhood within the municipality of Montreal in the province of Quebec, Canada. Home to the Old Port of Montreal, the neighbourhood is bordered on the west by McGill Street, on the ...
, opposite
Montreal City Hall in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
,
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...
, Canada.
Built in 1705 as the residence of then-governor of
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
,
Claude de Ramezay
Claude de Ramezay, (15 June 1659 – 31 July 1724), was an important figure in the early history of New France. He was a military man by training and rose to being commander of the colonial regular troops.
Life
Claude de Ramezay was a son of ...
, the Château was the first building proclaimed as a historical monument in Quebec and is the province's oldest private history museum. It was designated a
National Historic Sites of Canada in 1949.
Over the years, the Château changed owners and functions several times, with Ramezay's descendants selling the manor to the fur-trading
Compagnie des Indes.
Continental army headquarters
From 1775, it became the Canadian headquarters for the
Continental Army when it seized Montreal.
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor
An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a m ...
stayed there overnight in 1776, while trying to raise troops to fight for the Americans in the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...
.
Governor's residence again
After the conquest until 1849 the house was again used as a governor's residence, this time by the British governors. For official purposes it was known as Government House and was the governor's official Montreal residence which complemented his other residence in
Quebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...
(the
Chateau St. Louis
The Chateau St. Louis (french: Château Saint-Louis) in Quebec City was the official residence of the French Governor of New France and later the British Governor of Quebec, the Governor-General of British North America, and the Lieutenant-Gover ...
), and a country retreat in
Sorel.
University building

In 1878, the building opened its doors to host
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte- ...
's first
Faculty of Medicine
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, MB ...
.
Museum
The building was bought by the
Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Montreal and converted into an historical museum and portrait gallery in 1894.
Sir
Andrew Taylor designed alterations to the Chateau in 1895.
Today, the museum's collection is composed mainly of gifts from private Montrealers and is estimated at 30,000 objects, including manuscripts, printed works, numismatic items, ethnological items, works of art, paintings, prints and furniture.
From 1997 to 2002, the Château Ramezay underwent indoor and outdoor restorations, including the creation of the Governor's Garden, inaugurated in 2000. In 2003, the Château Ramezay Museum earned the National Award of Excellence from the Landscape Architects of Canada. It has greeted more than a million visitors.
References
External links
Château Ramezay, Official Web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chateau Ramezay
Houses completed in 1705
Museums in Montreal
Landmarks in Montreal
Old Montreal
History of Montreal
Heritage buildings of Quebec
History museums in Quebec
Decorative arts museums
Continental Army
Government Houses in Canada
Université de Montréal
Museums established in 1894
Houses in Montreal
National Historic Sites in Quebec
Buildings and structures on the National Historic Sites of Canada register
French colonial architecture in Canada
Gardens in Canada
Castles in Canada
Historic house museums in Quebec
1705 establishments in the French colonial empire