Saint-Sulpice Seminary and its Garden National Historic Site of Canada

Saint-Sulpice Seminary and its Garden was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1980 (expanded in 2004) because;

• of the quality of the architecture, which is a rare and remarkable example of French Regime classicism;
• of the remarkable integrity of the French Regime convent garden, which served as a means of subsistence, and for meditation and leisure;
• of the seminary’s long association with the Messieurs of Saint-Sulpice and its exemplary representation of this religious community’s oeuvre and of the beginnings of Montréal and of the colony of New France.

The heritage value of Saint-Sulpice Seminary and its Garden resides in its historical associations and in its architectural integrity as an example of French Regime classicism. Since 1687, the seminary has served as the residence and administrative centre of the Messieurs of Saint-Sulpice who were the seigneurs of the Island of Montréal until the end of the seigneurial regime. The building was inspired by 17th-century classical French architecture, and its garden originally conformed closely to the medieval monastic garden. With the colonization of New France in the 17th century, this European garden tradition was carried to North America by religious orders such as the Jesuits and Sulpicians. The garden survives in its original location with its form virtually intact. The garden’s relationship to the walls of the surrounding institution reflects the inward looking, self-reliant nature of these protected communities and their calm, spiritual quality. The ornamentation of the design and the interplay of geometry within this small structured landscape are reflective of 17th-century tastes.