In Sault-au-Récollet
© Fondation du patrimoine religieux du Québec 2003
It is believed that the Rivière des Prairies, located in the northern portion of the Island of Montreal, was named by Samuel de Champlain. During an exploratory expedition, he lost his companion, François des Prairies, in the numerous islands located in the river. A well-known series of rapids on that river, Sault-au-Récollet, owes its name to the Récollet brother Nicolas Viel, who drowned there in 1625. In 1749, during his trip, Swedish naturalist Perh Kalm noted in his book, Voyage de Perh Kalm au Canada en 1749 that “...the Hurons threw the priest into the water...”.
| Samuel de Champlain Samuel de Champlain, explorer and cartographer, was born in about 1570, in Brouage (France). He set foot in New France for the first time in 1603. Five years later, in 1608, he founded Quebec. He is called the Father of New France. Close this window |
| Récollet A “Récollet” is a brother of the French branch of the Order of Friars Minor of the Franciscans. They were the first missionaries to North America (1615). They developed the first dictionary of the Huron language. Close this window |
| Pehr Kalm Swedish naturalist who, during a trip to New France, kept a travel journal published under the title Voyage de Perh Kalm au Canada en 1749. He took scientific notes in which he described not only animals and plants, but also noted down observations about the customs of the people, religion, domestic sciences, mentalities, etc. Close this window |
| Mission de la Montagne The Mission de la Montagne was founded in about 1675, to convert the Amerindians and teach them French. François Vachon de Belmont, Sulpician, soon became aware of the need to fortify the mission. In 1685, he built the Fort de la Montagne, known primarily as Fort Belmont. Of the four bastions that made up the mission’s defense system only two survive today. They can be seen at the corner of Sherbrooke and Fort streets, in Montreal. Close this window |
| Fort Lorette Fort Lorette was built in 1696, on the shore of the Rivière des Prairies, by François Vachon de Belmont, a Sulpician. At that time, the river was known as the Rivière des Iroquois. The fort was erected on this site because it was located in difficult territory, at a central Iroquois canoe route. They used this site to enter the island and attack the colonists in Montreal. The fort was built to protect the colony and the mission. Close this window |
In 1720, the mission was moved once again, this time to Oka. However, the chapel remained on the site. Despite renovations to the building, the work seemed inadequate. In 1747, Monsignor Henri-Marie du Breuil de Pontbriand, Bishop of Quebec City, ordered the construction of a new church since the old one “threatened to fall into ruins soon”. Perh Kalm also said: “The church [...] was initially built by converted Savages [...]; it is made of wood and looks old and decrepit, but the interior can be used as such; the priest serving there intends to build a new one, of stone, next year [...]”. The local people used this out-dated building until 1751.
| Henri-Marie du Breuil de Pontbriand Monsignor Henri-Marie du Breuil de Pontbriand was a priest who was born in 1708, in Vannes (France). He served as the bishop of Quebec from 1741 to 1760. He passed away shortly before the surrender of Montreal, leaving the Roman Catholics with no spiritual leader at the time of defeat. Close this window |
To replace the Fort Lorette chapel, work was started in 1749 to build the new Sault-au-Récollet church. Completed in 1752, it was built in keeping with the “Récollet plan”. It is a simple building with a single entrance and a bell tower over the front.
| Récollet Plan Plan named after the community which built several churches in New France. These churches had large transepts but no naves, which became smaller at the choir so as to create interior chapels. The nave ended with a flat or semi-circular chevet. Close this window |
| Neoclassicism Quebec neoclassicism brings together adherence to tradition, inspiration from the great models and a search for rigor in composition. Close this window |
Work on the interior decoration started in 1772. Philippe Liébert, painter and sculptor, built the altarpiece and the pulpit. These two works no longer exist, but the tabernacle for the high altar, which Liébert sculpted in 1793, still does.
| Philippe Liébert Philippe Liébert, painter and sculptor, was born in France in 1732. He settled in Montreal in about 1750. He passed away in 1804. Louis-Amable Quévillon found inspiration in the models created by Liébert, his master. Close this window |
In 1800, the Quévillon shop made a bench and two tabernacles. They can still be found in the side chapels. Six years later, the same shop sculpted the altar tombs for these tabernacles as well as the high altar.
| Quévillon Louis-Amable Quévillon was a sculptor, a master carpenter and an architect who was born in 1749 in Sault-au-Récollet. He was responsible for the decoration of several churches in the Montreal area. He employed about 15 sculptors, gilders, and carpenters in his shop in Montreal. Cloes this window |
A vast portion of the church decor (the vault, the cornices, etc.) was completed in 1820. The interior decor has changed little since then. In the Montreal area, it is the best example of church decor at the start of the XIXth century.
This is the end of our series of chronicles on Churches with their Proud Bells. We invite you to return on March 20, 2007 for a new theme.
Sources:
COURNOYER, Jean. La mémoire du Québec de 1534 à nos jours, Montréal, Stanké, 2001, 1861 p.
NOPPEN, Luc. Les églises du Québec (1600-1850), Québec, Fides, 1977, p. 140-143.
ROUSSEAU, Jacques, Guy Béthune and Pierre Morisset. Voyage de Perh Kalm au Canada en 1749, Montréal, Pierre Tisseyre, 1977, p. 469-470.
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