Mount St. Francis Monastery Municipal Heritage Building

Mount St. Francis Monastery is designated because of its historic and aesthetic values.

Mount St. Francis Monastery, built between 1877 and 1880 to house the Irish Christian Brothers, is historically valuable for its association with this Roman Catholic community of religious brothers. Founded in 1802 in Ireland by Brother Edmund Rice, the Irish Christian Brothers proceeded with the objective of, “To do and to teach.” In 1875, the Irish Christian Brothers accepted an invitation from the Benevolent Irish Society to assume responsibility for Roman Catholic education in St. John’s. This decision to come to St. John’s was crucial to the development of Roman Catholic education in Newfoundland. The contributions of the Irish Christian Brothers to education in Newfoundland were great and Mount St. Francis Monastery stands as a testament to this influence and contribution. This Monastery is also historically valuable as the first Irish Christian Brothers Monastery in Newfoundland.

Mount St. Francis Monastery is architecturally valuable as an example of Gothic Revival architecture in an institutional building. This style of architecture was common for monasteries built during this period. According to local tradition, Mount St. Francis Monastery is modelled after a monastery in Wexford, Ireland. The Monastery employs many Gothic elements including steeply peaked dormers, arched windows and doors, and quoining on the corners. The double bay windows topped with a steep gable roof flanking each side of the main entrance create a turret-like look for the front façade of the building.

Mount St. Francis Monastery is environmentally valuable for its location in St. John’s. The Monastery is located in the centre of the city and is one of a larger number of buildings that create a complex of ecclesiastical buildings in this area.