The battle over the conversion of another historic site in Montreal into a residential project is taking place this month. The Society of Saint Sulpice philosophy seminary and former home of the Marianopolis College situated on Cote des Neiges road was sold by the Order in March 2008 to the Montreal firm Development Cato Inc. for $46 million. The firm has presented plans to convert the seminary into a $300 million residential project of 325 housing units (290 condos, 24 townhouses and 10 single-family homes) and 671 underground parking spaces. The project also envisions the demolition of the sports complex and the former seminary employee house.

Present and future site map

The property was originally part of L’ancien Domaine de la Montagne of the Priests of Saint Sulpice in the 17th century. The Society of Saint Sulpice was established by the Jesuit priest Jean-Jacques Olier in 1642 in Paris and its main mission was for the education and perfection of ecclesiastics at its conservatories. The Ecclesiastical seminaries distinguish themselves from the novitiate and the scholasticate in that the members receive both spiritual and intellectual formation. He considered going to Canada to support the Jesuit mission there in the conversion of First Nations but he died before crossing the ocean leaving behind the Society of Notre-Dame de Montreal, his vision of a city in honour of the Blessed Virgin (Villemarie in the Island of Montreal) and the headquarters of the Indian missions and stronghold against the Iroquois. The Jesuits ceded their rights and duties to the Society of Saint-Sulpice in 1663 making them ‘owner and lord of the Island of Montreal’. The island was bought for 130,000 livres from the Jesuits and received over 1 million dollars between 1657 and 1710 from the seminary in Paris for its maintenance. There is little information on the history of the Society of Saint-Sulpice between the 17th and 19th century and its organization and function is shrouded in secrecy. Some sources maintain that the Order was set up to protect a ‘secret’ and have linked it to the Priory of Sion and covert government infiltration in France.

At the end of the 17th the Sulpicians had created six parishes as well as churches, presbyteries and schools in the vicinity of Montreal. After the French Revolution and the subsequent persecution of the clergy, the Sulpicians fled to Canada where they were free to continue their work.  In 1767 they founded the College de Montreal and in 1840 the Grand Séminaire de Montréal which became the Theological Faculty of University of Montreal. Since 1866 the Society of Saint-Sulpice gradually abandoned the administration of parishes in Montreal retaining only the parishes of Notre-Dame and Saint-Jacques in the city and that of Oka. The seminary of philosophy was created in 1894 and operated until 1974 when Marianopolis College moved on the premises.

Mount Royal Natural and Historical District

The seminary of philosophy is located in the borough of Ville-Marie and is covered by article 94 of the Cultural Property Act of the City of Montreal that declared Mont Royal as heritage site and the 2005 provincial government decree which declared the park, cemeteries, and several adjacent parks and institutions as the Mount Royal Natural and Historical District (Arrondissement historique et naturel du Mont-Royal) in order to legally protect the cultural and natural heritage of the area, the only such status awarded in Quebec. As such the residential project is subject to city bylaws regarding height, volume, density, preservation of historic features and use (it will be converted from public to private use), and  protection of the vegetation.

The original plans have already been scaled down with the cancellation of a private medical clinic that would have increased access to the site and occupied some 2000 square meters and the felling of more than 100 trees on the property, which did not confirm to the City’s Plan de protection et de mise en valeur du Mont-Royal (the conservation and development plan for Mont Royal). Although the Ministry of Culture and the city of Montreal appear to be in favour of the development project, the Conseil du patrimoine de Montréal (CPM), the city’s advisory body on heritage matters, issued an unfavorable report in February this year that led the initial changes. Some of its recommendations were:  limit the parking spaces; limit the maximum height of the buildings so that the view on the mountain and the city will not be restricted; undertake traffic studies to conform to the Ville-Marie bylaws and promote public transportation; preservation and enhancement of the interior features of the seminary such as the wooden stairs and the chapel; harmonize access to the local natural landscape for the public; replace any felled trees and harmonize the vegetation to the original species found on the site; and a City enhancement study of the sports complex and employee house before the final demolition decision is taken.

Artist rendering of the residential project

A series of public consultation were held on May 4, 5 and 11 at 1550 Metcalfe. On May 27 the public can submit written briefs. Les amis de la montagne, a charitable organization dedicated to protecting and enhancing Mount Royal through community involvement and environmental education, have so far opposed the project. An online petition can be found here. Detailed information on the project plans, studies, city and organizations brief as well as the bylaws amendments under consideration can be found at the Office of Public consultation website.