The new Catherine-Crolo pavilion
at Maison Saint-Gabriel - Museum and historical site
A renewed experience for the visitor...

Photo: Pierre Guzzo

This site holds more than 300 years of history, that of the Point St. Charles farm, which fed generations of Montrealers. It was women who developed this farm, season after season. Today, the museum, the barn, the theme gardens, the cultural activities, the gift shop, the tea room, the refectory, and the bread oven remind us about their daily lives and ensure a memorable experience for visitors.

musée, collection, patrimoine, histoire, Nouvelle-France, culture

Photo: Pierre Guzzo


Farmhouse Garden
This garden reflects the evolution of the farm’s landscape over the centuries from the initial woods to the farm plot. From the site’s entrance to the Catherine-Crolo Pavilion, you will cross through:
  • the woods (17th century)
  • deserted land (recently cleared land) (17th century)
  • the grain field (18th and 19th centuries)
  • the farm plot (20th century)

Enjoy your visit to this site, which is so closely linked to the history of Montreal.

Photo: Pierre Guzzo


Sharecroppers’ pathway
The Point St. Charles farm was sharecropped. It was operated by sharecroppers, the farming sisters of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame who gave the fruits and harvests to their community. From 1668 to 1955, 86 women managed the farm, one after another. The Sharecroppers’ pathway honours them.
musée, collection, patrimoine, histoire, Nouvelle-France, culture

Photo: Pierre Guzzo


The future as a heritage
Today, as in the past, women dedicate themselves to the development of the community. The 86 women who headed the farm in Point St. Charles have been paired with 86 women who want to take up the torch of history for future generations.


Photo: Pierre Guzzo

Passenger pigeons...
Passenger pigeons (Ectopistes migratorius) were once very numerous in the St. Lawrence River Valley and the farmers detested them. When they landed in large flocks on the grain fields, they caused a considerable amount of damage. They were hunted mercilessly and… eaten in tourtières (from the French name for this bird – “tourte”). This species has disappeared today. Hunting, the destruction of its natural habitat and the transformation of its environment are the main causes.

musée, collection, patrimoine, histoire, Nouvelle-France, culture

Photo: Pierre Guzzo
The stained glass was produced by Jeff Scheckmann and Ali Ataogul, master glass-makers, Studio du Verre, Montreal.


The stained glass
The future germinated in the soil…
The future germinated in the soil and we found it.  We soothed it, rocking its gold and ochre through time under the breeze of a soil to be shared. The country is slow and human life, very short. Time passes on from hand to hand.
Mireille Cliche, Writer
June 2010

Click on the image to see the slide show.

Photo: Pierre Guzzo