The Grey Nuns' Hospital (also known as Hôpital général des frères Charron) was a

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada that operated from 1695 to 1871. It is located south of Place d'Youville and west of Rue Saint-Pierre.

History

The name ''Hôpital général des frères Charron'' () refers to a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

religious community of the same name. It focused on care of the poor. The hospital was built outside the Fortifications of Montreal in 1695. Management and hospital administration were entrusted to the

Grey Nuns The Sisters of Charity of Montreal, formerly called The Sisters of Charity of the Hôpital Général of Montreal and more commonly known as the Grey Nuns of Montreal, is a Canadian religious institute of Roman Catholic religious sisters, found ...

in 1747. The hospital suffered a major fire in 1765 and was rebuilt again according to the style of French architecture, that is to say, with large walls composed of rough stone called

rubble Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture; undressed especially as a filling-in. Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as 'brash' (compare cornbrash)."Rubble" def. 2., "Brash n. 2. def. 1. ''Oxford English Dictionar ...

that had been squared and covered in plaster. The architecture, which is very utilitarian, is rudimentary and has little ornamentation. The gable roof prevents the accumulation of snow in winter. The structure, being less massive and simpler to build meant a lower risk of fire. Finally, wrought-iron esses are used to reinforce the structure with stems screwed into the wood frame. In 1871, the Grey Nuns and their hospital moved uptown, to the building known as the Grey Nuns Motherhouse. On the original site, the eastern wings and most of the central chapel were demolished to make way for an extension of Saint-Pierre Street and the construction of new rental shop-warehouses, while the remaining half of the old building was also rented as warehouses. The rental income from the old site thus helped support the continued charitable work at the new location. In 1971, the Grey Nuns decided to return to their first mother-house. Major renovations of the building were undertaken. The site was designated a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...

in 1973.

References

External links

Fiche Vieux-Montréal : Ancien Hôpital général
{{authority control Defunct hospitals in Canada Hospitals in Montreal 1695 establishments in the French colonial empire National Historic Sites in Quebec French colonial architecture in Canada Burned buildings and structures in Canada Old Montreal Buildings and structures completed in 1765 Catholic hospitals in Canada Heritage buildings of Quebec 1871 disestablishments in Quebec Former Catholic hospitals

History

See also

References

External links