The Concordia Grey Nuns Mother House is located at 1185 Rue St Mathieu. The land this building is situated on originally belonged to the Sulspian Order. In 1861 the Grey Nuns bought this land from the Sulspian Order. The Grey Nuns are also known as the "Sisters of Charity of Montreal". They bought a huge amount of land which would now be considered to be the land between St Catherine street, St Mathieu Street and Rene-Levesque street. The Building was built by a famous architect, Victor Boudreault in 1871. He is mostly renowned for his limestone buildings. Victor Boudreault designed other landmark buildings in the downtown Montreal area such as the Montreal General Hospital. The chapel of the Grey Nuns Mother house was officially consecrated in 1879. This complex kept growing over the years and by 1901 an Orphanage and the official Mother House were created. By 1976 the Chapel was named as an official historical building under the Canadian Law. This means that no changes are to be made to the original structure and that it must remain as close to its original format as possible. ("Grey Nuns Mother house" concordia.ca)
Who are the Sisters of Charity of Montreal?: The Sisters of Charity, better known as the “Grey Nuns” were founded by Marguerite D'Youville in 1737 (associationofgreynuns.com).
Marguerite D'Youville felt the need to spread what she felt was the message of Jesus Christ. She was known for helping people who were much less fortunate then her and for feeding the hungry. She opened a home which welcomed the destitute and the hungry to come in. Over time she was often criticized for her work. However, she never let that ruin her enthusiasm she kept providing help to anyone who was willing to receive help until the day she died. The Sisters of Charity of Montreal were named the "Grey Nuns" in mockery as grey can also mean a form of being tipsy or drunk in the French language. The French used these terms to make fun of her situation with her husband. Her husband was a known illegal trader of banned alcohols. Marguerite led a very difficult life, her husband caused her much sadness. (Associationofgreynuns.com)
Map of location of the Concordia Grey Nuns building. It is situated on 1184 St-Mathieu street.
What is this Building Today?:
View of the entrance of the Grey Nuns Motherhouse Chapel. Concordia.ca
The Grey Nuns Mother House is currently part of the Concordia University campus. It represents one of the two universities in Montreal which teach primarily in english. Concordia University is composed of six different buildings; The Loyola campus,The Hall Building, John Molson School of Business, Grey Nuns Mother House, The Engineering Building and The Guy Metro Building. Concordia University officially bought the Grey Nuns mother House from the Grey Nuns in 2004. The acquisition of the building was a surprise as Concordia had been trying to acquire the building since 1975 but was only officially offered to buy the building in 2004. Concordia University has big plans of what they will do with this building. The plan will be developped in several phases from 2004 until 2022 when it will be officially complete. In 2004 Concordia began using their newly acquired building to host classes and special events. In 2007 the University began real construction on the building. They built rooms with beds and furniture in order to accommodate students who required living space. These space is usually inhabited by international students or by students who live far away. This new living space includes single and double rooms. Each room comes furnished with a bed and mini fridge among other many of their accommodations. The students who live in this residence share a common room for studying, a kitchenette, a games room and the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. The Grey Nuns Mother house is also available for rental to groups, students or travelers in the summer monthd when there are no regular classes. (Concordia.ca)
What Next?: During 2011 Concordia has gained full propriotership of the Chapel and the main wing of the building. The Chapel is protected under the law as a Montreal protected site. This means that the University will not be allowed under the law to change the interior of the Chapel. However, Concordia maintains that they will use the chapel to accommodate special events. Concordia also explains that the chapel will be made available to students who wish to perform. The Grey Nuns Mother House is an on going project for Concordia University. ("Grey Nuns Motherhouse" concordia.ca)