Convent of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary

The Convent of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary is an imposing four-storey

brick-veneer structure made notable by its dramatic mansard roof topped with iron cresting. Constructed

in 1900-01, the convent is set just west of the main commercial district in St-Pierre-Jolys, in a quiet

area amongst other ecclesiastical institutions and residences near Joubert Creek. The provincial designation

applies to the convent building and the large lot it occupies.

The Convent of the Sisters

of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, designed in the traditional Second Empire style of francophone religious

communities in Manitoba, remains a visible symbol of the survival of the unique Franco-Manitoban culture.

The third oldest extant convent in the province, this structure housed educational facilities for Grades

one to ten, a girls' boarding school, residences for the teaching sisters and a chapel. It made

important contributions to the preservation of French culture in Manitoba and to the development of St-Pierre-Jolys,

where it has been a focus of community life for over a century. The convent's designer, Joseph-Azarie

Senecal, was a seminal figure in the spread and usage of French-Catholic religious architecture in the

province.

Source: Manitoba Heritage Council Minutes, October 16, 1987

Key elements that

define the site's heritage character include:

- the grounds composed of numerous mature trees, open

expanses of grass and two shrines, and bordered by Joubert Creek to the west

Key elements that define

the convent's Second Empire style include:

- the imposing four-storey wood-frame structure, its

boxy mass clad in brick and set upon a stone foundation

- the mansard roof, crowned on the east (front)

facade with a small central bell tower and wrought-iron cresting and pierced on all sides by modest gable

dormers

- the symmetrical front elevation with a centrally placed entrance tower featuring large wooden

double doors at the second level accessed by a high wooden staircase extending above the ground floor

- the tall rectangular double-hung windows throughout, with brick jack arches and simple, slightly protruding

wood sills, and the east elevation's first- and second-level windows with an added rowlock course

above the lintel

- minimal ornamentation and simple detailing restricted to a Latin cross atop the bell

tower's concave mansard roof

Key elements that define the convent's modest interior layout,

finishes and details include:

- the formal rectangular plan, with rooms of various configurations running

off transverse central halls on each level

- the intact second-level chapel, with two original stained-glass

windows in the south wall and a wood plank ceiling arranged in a decorative radiating pattern

- the largely

intact attic/top level, revealing its function as the former boarders' residence area through its

configuration of a central open area surrounded by small rooms around the perimeter, original round wood

columns, period doors, mouldings and closets/storage cubbies

- the practical details and finishes throughout,

including some wainscotting, hardwood floors, etc.