Nuns' Island
Encyclopedia
Nuns' Island is an island
that forms a part of the city of Montreal
, Quebec
. It is part of the borough of Verdun.
in the St. Lawrence River. It is located immediately southwest of the Island of Montreal
, from which it is separated by a narrow channel, and north of the La Prairie Basin.
The Décarie Expressway (Aut. 15)
runs through Nuns' Island, connecting it to the south shore of the St. Lawrence River via the Champlain Bridge and to the Island of Montreal
via the Pont de l'Île-des-Sœurs, part of the Champlain Bridge complex. The Clément Bridge connects the island with the Bonaventure Expressway (Aut. 10)
.
Although the island is just a few miles from downtown Montreal, it is very secluded from the city and remains free of heavy traffic and noise of the city. The island is primarily composed of residential apartments, condos and flats. Commercial services are clustered in malls around Place du Commerce near the Champlain Bridge, with civic services including a community centre and church around Place Elgar. A recent development is the construction of the campus headquarters of Bell Canada on the northern tip of the island.
The island is noted for its parks and scenery including West Vancouver Park which overlooks the Saint Lawrence River
. The 26-hectare Domaine Saint-Paul natural woodland in the southern part of the island, a crucial nesting area for more than a hundred species of birds, is one of the last remaining natural woodlands in southern Montreal. It has been progressively eroded by development. The woodland surrounds an artificial lake called Lac des Battures.
There is only one school on the island, École Île-des-Sœurs primary school; consultations are under way to construct a second grade school near Parc de la Fontaine.
A substantial part of Nuns' Island is owned by Structures Metropolitaines
.
, future governor of New France. The island was included in the expansive seigneurie of La Citière on the south shore of the St. Lawrence. In 1664 he ceded the island in three equal parts to three prominent citizens of Ville-Marie
: Jacques Le Ber
, sieur de Saint-Paul et Senneville; Claude Robutel de Saint-André, sieur de La Noue; and Jean de la Vigne, who transferred his portion to Jacques Le Ber's sister Marie in 1668. She in turn sold her share to her brother, leaving the island divided between the seigneuries of Saint-Paul and La Noue.
The nun
s of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame
acquired the seigneurie de La Noue in 1706. Following the British conquest
, the other seigneurie was auctioned; the nuns purchased it too in 1769, becoming the sole owners of the island for the next 250 years. Their ownership would give the island its unofficial name, attested since the early 19th century.
The nuns farmed the island, building houses and agricultural buildings, and later hired women to help with raising livestock. Owing to a dispute between the congregation and the municipality of Verdun over taxes in the late 19th century, the island, which had no fixed link to the Island of Montreal, was made a municipality (L'Île-Saint-Paul) in 1899.
The nuns continued farming until 1956, when they sold the island to the Quebec Home and Mortgage Co. Ltd. In the same year, the provincial government merged it with Verdun in 1956. By that time the name Saint-Paul had fallen out of use, and the name île des Sœurs was officialized. The nuns left for good in 1957.
The development of the island began in earnest with the opening of the Champlain Bridge in 1962. The urbanization was carried out by the Metropolitan Structures company of Chicago, under a master plan by the American company of Johnson, Johnson, and Roy. Notably, it included four buildings by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
: three high rise apartments, the first of which, 201 rue Corot, was occupied in 1969, and an Esso filling station
of the same vintage. Significant areas to the south of the island were reclaimed from the St. Lawrence. Construction has continued rapidly since then.
and the provincial riding of Verdun
.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
that forms a part of the city of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. It is part of the borough of Verdun.
Geography
The 3.74 km² island is part of the Hochelaga ArchipelagoHochelaga Archipelago
The Hochelaga Archipelago, also known as the Montreal Islands , is a group of islands at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers in the southwest part of the province of Quebec, Canada.-Size:...
in the St. Lawrence River. It is located immediately southwest of the Island of Montreal
Island of Montreal
The Island of Montreal , in extreme southwestern Quebec, Canada, is located at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. It is separated from Île Jésus by the Rivière des Prairies....
, from which it is separated by a narrow channel, and north of the La Prairie Basin.
The Décarie Expressway (Aut. 15)
Quebec Autoroute 15
Autoroute 15 is a highway in western Quebec, Canada...
runs through Nuns' Island, connecting it to the south shore of the St. Lawrence River via the Champlain Bridge and to the Island of Montreal
Island of Montreal
The Island of Montreal , in extreme southwestern Quebec, Canada, is located at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. It is separated from Île Jésus by the Rivière des Prairies....
via the Pont de l'Île-des-Sœurs, part of the Champlain Bridge complex. The Clément Bridge connects the island with the Bonaventure Expressway (Aut. 10)
Quebec Autoroute 10
Autoroute 10 is an Autoroute in southern Quebec, Canada...
.
Although the island is just a few miles from downtown Montreal, it is very secluded from the city and remains free of heavy traffic and noise of the city. The island is primarily composed of residential apartments, condos and flats. Commercial services are clustered in malls around Place du Commerce near the Champlain Bridge, with civic services including a community centre and church around Place Elgar. A recent development is the construction of the campus headquarters of Bell Canada on the northern tip of the island.
The island is noted for its parks and scenery including West Vancouver Park which overlooks the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
. The 26-hectare Domaine Saint-Paul natural woodland in the southern part of the island, a crucial nesting area for more than a hundred species of birds, is one of the last remaining natural woodlands in southern Montreal. It has been progressively eroded by development. The woodland surrounds an artificial lake called Lac des Battures.
There is only one school on the island, École Île-des-Sœurs primary school; consultations are under way to construct a second grade school near Parc de la Fontaine.
A substantial part of Nuns' Island is owned by Structures Metropolitaines
Boardwalk Real Estate Investment Trust
Boardwalk Real Estate Investment Trust is an open-ended real estate investment trust that owns Boardwalk Communities, Structures Metropolitaines, and Boardwalk Retirement Community. The company owns a mixture of high-rise, mid-rise and low-rise apartment buildings in the provinces of Alberta,...
.
History
Originally called Île Saint-Paul in honour of the founder of Montreal, Paul Chomedey, sieur de Maisonneuve, the island was initially acquired by 1634 by Jean de LauzonJean de Lauzon
Jean de Lauzon or de Lauson was the French Governor of New France from 1651 to 1657, one of the most challenging times for the colony....
, future governor of New France. The island was included in the expansive seigneurie of La Citière on the south shore of the St. Lawrence. In 1664 he ceded the island in three equal parts to three prominent citizens of Ville-Marie
Fort Ville-Marie
Fort Ville-Marie was a fortress outpost of France in North America. It is the historic nucleus around which the original settlement of Montreal grew.Given its importance, the site of the fort was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1924....
: Jacques Le Ber
Jacques Le Ber
Jacques Le Ber was a merchant and seigneur in Montreal, New France.- Biography :Jacques Le Ber was born in c. 1633 in the parish of Pistre, Diocese of Rouen, son of Robert Le Ber and Colette Cavelier. He came to Canada in 1657 from France as a soldier but was mainly a businessman after his arrival...
, sieur de Saint-Paul et Senneville; Claude Robutel de Saint-André, sieur de La Noue; and Jean de la Vigne, who transferred his portion to Jacques Le Ber's sister Marie in 1668. She in turn sold her share to her brother, leaving the island divided between the seigneuries of Saint-Paul and La Noue.
The nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame
Congregation of Notre Dame
The Congregation of Notre Dame was founded in 1653 by Marguerite Bourgeoys in Montreal, Canada. This was one of the first non-cloistered communities. The community's motherhouse has continued to be based in Montreal...
acquired the seigneurie de La Noue in 1706. Following the British conquest
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
, the other seigneurie was auctioned; the nuns purchased it too in 1769, becoming the sole owners of the island for the next 250 years. Their ownership would give the island its unofficial name, attested since the early 19th century.
The nuns farmed the island, building houses and agricultural buildings, and later hired women to help with raising livestock. Owing to a dispute between the congregation and the municipality of Verdun over taxes in the late 19th century, the island, which had no fixed link to the Island of Montreal, was made a municipality (L'Île-Saint-Paul) in 1899.
The nuns continued farming until 1956, when they sold the island to the Quebec Home and Mortgage Co. Ltd. In the same year, the provincial government merged it with Verdun in 1956. By that time the name Saint-Paul had fallen out of use, and the name île des Sœurs was officialized. The nuns left for good in 1957.
The development of the island began in earnest with the opening of the Champlain Bridge in 1962. The urbanization was carried out by the Metropolitan Structures company of Chicago, under a master plan by the American company of Johnson, Johnson, and Roy. Notably, it included four buildings by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was a German architect. He is commonly referred to and addressed as Mies, his surname....
: three high rise apartments, the first of which, 201 rue Corot, was occupied in 1969, and an Esso filling station
Nuns' Island gas station
The Nun's Island gas station is a modernist-style filling station designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1969, one of four buildings by Mies in Nuns' Island, an island in the city of Montreal. It is no longer a working gas station and as of January 2009, the city of Montreal was looking for a new...
of the same vintage. Significant areas to the south of the island were reclaimed from the St. Lawrence. Construction has continued rapidly since then.
Government
Nuns' Island is part of the borough of Verdun, making up the neighbourhood of L'Île-des-Sœurs and forming part of the city council district of Champlain–L'Île-des-Sœurs with the eastern third of "mainland" Verdun. As part of Verdun, it is part of the federal riding of Jeanne-Le BerJeanne-Le Ber
Jeanne-Le Ber is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004. Its population in 2006 was 112,863.-Geography:...
and the provincial riding of Verdun
Verdun (provincial electoral district)
Verdun is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. The Montreal borough of Verdun is situated in this district...
.
External links
- http://proment.com/en/island_history.php?page=island_history
- Construction underway to transform famed Nuns’ Island gas station