The Monastère du Bon-Pasteur is a multifunctional site in

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 ...

Québec Quebec is Canada's 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, New Brunswick to the southeast and a coastal border ...

. It houses offices, a long-term care home, private apartments, and a historic chapel: the ''Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur''. Located at 100

Sherbrooke Street Sherbrooke Street (officially in ) is a major east–west artery and at in length, is the second longest street on the Island of Montreal, Canada. The street begins in the town of Montreal West, Quebec, Montreal West and ends on the extreme ...

East, the former

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

forms part of the Sainte-Marie neighbourhood. The Monastère du Bon-Pasteur was classified as a heritage building by the Québec Minister of Culture and Communications on 11 July 1979.

History

The Sisters of the Bon Pasteur (''Sœurs du Bon Pasteur'') came to Montreal from France in 1844. They sought to provide care for delinquent young girls, orphans, and otherwise disadvantaged youth. In 1846, they were granted a parcel of land outside the then-limits of the City of Montreal, in a hamlet established in the 18th century called Côte-à-Baron. Construction of the monastery began that same year, making it one of the first public buildings to be raised on Sherbrooke Street, along with

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

. During the typhus epidemic of 1847, the cholera pandemic of 1849, and the Great Fire of 1852, the new monastery served as a place of refuge for the local population. In 1861, the north-east wing of the main building was erected to house a Young Ladies' Academy. The public chapel, designed by the architect Victor Bourgeau, was built in 1878; it stands out by its position at the centre of the building. Neoclassical architectural elements were added by the architect

John Ostell John Ostell (7 August 1813 – 6 April 1892) was a British-Canadian architect, surveyor and manufacturer, was born in London, England and emigrated to Canada in 1834, where he apprenticed himself to a Montreal surveyor André Trudeau to learn ...

and the Jesuit Félix Martin. A new wing was annexed in 1884 to include a trade school. This wing was extended again towards Sherbrooke Street in 1893. A presbytery was constructed in 1896 at the intersection between Sherbrooke Street and Cadieux Street (modern-day De Bullion). Between 1888 and 1903, a laundromat, studios, and outbuildings were erected behind the monastery. These buildings allowed for the interior

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary a ...

to be closed off. After years of neglect, the monastery was sold to the ''Société d'habitation du Québec'' in 1979. The same year, it was classified as a heritage building by the Quebec government, and further classified as a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

in 1981. Nonetheless, it was not until 1987 that a restoration took place, following the acquisition of the building by the ''Société immobilière du patrimoine architectural de Montréal'', who transformed it into the multifunctional building it is today.

Historic Chapel of the Bon-Pasteur

The ''Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur'', which can accommodate 160 people, is managed by the Cultural Service of the City of Montreal and is part of the network of 'arts centres' in Montreal. Restored in 1987, the chapel was converted into a

concert hall A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage (theatre), stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention ...

. Today, it is considered to be one of the best concert halls for

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

in Montreal due to its acoustics. The chapel has a

Fazioli Fazioli Pianoforti (), translated as Fazioli Pianos, produces grand and concert pianos from their factory in Sacile, Italy. The company was founded by engineer and pianist Paolo Fazioli in 1981. As of 2016, craftsmen at Fazioli build 140 piano ...

piano, known for its clarity and richness of sound, and a Kirckman

harpsichord A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...

from 1772. Every season, the chapel hosts classical music, contemporary, and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

concerts, as well as public hearings and conferences. In addition, it has a space dedicated to visual arts expositions. The 2023–2024 slate of concerts, along with the historic instruments, had to be moved to the

Canadian Centre for Architecture The Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA; ) is a Architecture museum, museum of architecture and research centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at 1920, rue Baile (1920, Baile Street), between rue Fort (Fort Street) and rue Saint-Ma ...

due to damage sustained to the chapel in the May 2023 fire.

May 25, 2023 fire

At 4:30 p.m. on 25 May 2023, the monastery underwent a major fire that took more than 24 hours to extinguish. Two days later, about 15

firefighters A firefighter (or fire fighter or fireman) is a first responder trained in specific emergency response such as firefighting, primarily to control and extinguish fires and respond to emergencies such as hazardous material incidents, medical in ...

were still on site to ensure that the fire did not restart. The inspection of the structural damage, including to the chapel, started the same day, and evacuees were able to return and collect their personal belongings. The damaged historic instruments, namely the 250-year-old harpsichord and the Fazioli piano, were also retrieved. There were no fatalities, no people reported missing, and only two reports of minor injuries, including a man in his 80s and a firefighter.

Notes

References

{{Reflist Roman Catholic monasteries in Canada Christian monasteries established in the 19th century Christian monasteries disestablished in the 20th century Neoclassical buildings and structures Religious buildings and structures in Montreal Religious buildings and structures completed in 1893 Restored and conserved buildings Ville-Marie, Montreal Music venues in Montreal Urban fires in Canada 2020s fires in North America 2023 fires Protected areas of Quebec Heritage buildings of Quebec Building and structure fires in Montreal