“Can you hear the pick axes striking stone in the open quarry at your feet?”

Right here, in the late 17th century, tradesmen begin quarrying stone, especially the beautiful grey limestone typical of many Montréal buildings. The land belongs to the Religious Hospitallers of Saint Joseph, who administer the Hôtel-Dieu hospital. Imagine several small, shallow quarries dug out of the ground alongside the mountain!

In the 1850s, the Hospitallers decide to leave Old Montréal. They use this local greystone to build a convent and a hospital, as well as the chapel, to your left. When construction is completed in 1861, this large complex stands in the middle of the countryside.

Design and writing credits for historical panels: Pirogue in collaboration with BCK design