Monastère du Bon-Pasteur, Neoclassical monastery in Ville-Marie, Canada
Monastère du Bon-Pasteur is a neoclassical monastery in Ville-Marie that features a central block with multiple wings extending outward in distinctive shapes. The stone structure spans three stories and now functions as a multipurpose complex housing offices, a retirement residence, private apartments, and a cultural center.
The Sisters of the Bon Pasteur arrived from France in 1844 and began building the monastery in 1846 on land at Côte-à-Baron, then outside Montreal's limits. It sheltered locals during the typhus epidemic of 1847, the cholera pandemic of 1849 and the Great Fire of 1852. Wings followed: an academy in 1861, Victor Bourgeau's central chapel in 1878, a trade school in 1884, and a presbytery in 1896.
The chapel holds 160 people and is run by the City of Montreal's cultural service as part of its arts centres network. Its 1772 Kirckman harpsichord and a Fazioli piano are heard in classical, contemporary and jazz concerts, public auditions and lectures each season, alongside a visual arts exhibition space.
The monastery stands at 100 Sherbrooke Street East, at the corner of De Bullion in Sainte-Marie. The Chapelle historique, seating 160, is managed by the city's cultural service. Following the May 2023 fire, concerts and the historic instruments moved to the Canadian Centre for Architecture.
The chapel holds a Kirckman harpsichord dated 1772 and a Fazioli piano. During the 25 May 2023 fire, which took over 24 hours to extinguish, both instruments were retrieved from the damaged building. The 2023–2024 concert season was moved to the Canadian Centre for Architecture.
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