Ancien séminaire de Sainte-Thérèse, Catholic seminary and educational heritage building in Sainte-Thérèse, Canada.
The Séminaire de Sainte-Thérèse is a rectangular ashlar-stone building combining Second Empire and Neo-Gothic styles, designed by architects Victor Roy and Jean-Roch Poitras and inaugurated in autumn 1883 after the 1881 fire. In front of the main block stands an octagonal Neo-Gothic chapel-oratory, added in 1886.
The building was founded in the early 1800s and suffered a major fire near the end of that century, requiring reconstruction by two prominent architects. This rebuilding significantly shaped the structure visitors see today.
The seminary's name honours Saint Theresa, patron of the parish, and its students included Antoine Labelle, Lionel Groulx and Paul-Émile Léger. In 1850 the fathers Saché and Sicateri introduced the Jesuit Ratio Studiorum, and Saint Charles Borromeo became the seminary's first patron.
The building now functions as part of a college located downtown and is easily accessible via regional transportation. Visitors should be aware this remains an active school campus, so checking in advance about visiting possibilities is important.
The neo-Gothic octagonal chapel-oratory has stood in front of the main building since 1886. The 1881 fire destroyed the seminary entirely, scattering its 204 students into the village of Sainte-Thérèse, and the rebuilt stone building was inaugurated in autumn 1883. Its architects were Victor Roy and Jean-Roch Poitras.
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