Historical route

The City of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue has a rich history and a rich built heritage. To discover the architectural wonders and learn more about the history of the city, and its role in the evolution of Montreal and Quebec, we have prepared a pedestrian circuit that transports visitors through the history of the city. territory.

Discover the City's history by visiting the following sites:

• Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Convent

  171, rue Sainte-Anne, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue

  At the request Georges Fidèle Octave Chèvrefils, parish priest of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue from 1858-1903, the Congregation of Notre-Dame accepted the direction of a new teaching house in the village of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue. The sacristy adjoining the old church, converted into a school since 1858, serves as a residence. The school year begins September 6, 1895; 97 girls are enrolled.
  
  

  On February 22, 1900, the sisters moved into a new, larger school, built on the site of the old church. The first 8 boarders were welcomed in 1908 while the convent had 186 schoolgirls. In the early 1930s, there were 35 boarders among the 221 students enrolled. In 1935, the Congregation purchased the neighboring residence : it was converted into an annex school and allowed the organization of classes thaught in English. On January 26, 1962, the Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue School Board centralized education at École Saint-Georges, near Senneville. The boarding house closed its doors and the convent becomes a place of residence for the teaching nuns as well as a rest and holiday home for the sisters of the Congregation. In 1975, the convent was sold to the city and the convent was transformed into socio-cultural center, then into housing for the elderly.
  
  

  Text adapted from Croire et Vouloir

• Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Church
  

  1, rue de l’Église, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue

  As early as the 18th century, the Sulpicians reserve land at the tip of Bout-de-l’Ile (former name of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue) and build a chapel, which used to be a place of worship and fort. Erected canonically in 1831, the parish of Sainte-Anne uses the chapel built in the 18th century until it builds a new, larger church, between 1853 and 1856. The sums paid by the Grand Trunk Company to buy sections from the cemetery help pay for the construction of the church. A new presbytery is built in 1890 and at the same time, the old chapel is demolished to be replaced by the Sisters’ Convent of the Congregation Notre-Dame.
  
  

  The church is enlarged and redeveloped around 1882, and the interior is renovated in the early 20th century, in the 1930s and 1960s, following the guidelines of the Second Vatican Council. The transformations realized in 1936 give a new style to the interior decoration and to several external elements including the belfry, the roof and the windows.
  
  

  Facing the Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Canal National Historic Site of Canada, the church is also located on one of the founding routes of the City - Chemin Sainte-Anne - and its environment retains a rural and picturesque character.

• Simon Fraser House
  

  153 rue Sainte-Anne, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue

  The Simon Fraser House was built between 1790 and 1810 for Peter Grant (ca. 1764-1848), a partner of the North West Company. The Irish poet Thomas Moore (1779-1852) would have stayed there in 1804 and composed his famous text "The Canadian Boat Song". Following the fire of the manor of the Seigneurie de Bellevue in 1820, Simon Fraser (1760-1839), owner of the fief and also a partner of the North West Company, acquired the house to be his mansion. His descendants remain owners until 1965.

  
  Between 1850 and 1890, the house is modified including the addition of a Neo-Gothic porch on the front and a drum on one of the gabled walls. It underwent further modifications in 1892-1893, while it was subdivided into two dwellings. Subsequently, dormers are fitted with low-arched pediments, while firewalls supported by stone brackets are shaved when the roof is modified. From 1906 to 1954, the property is home to a branch of the Bank of Montreal. Thanks to the support of the Bout-de-l’Isle Historical Society and the Canadian Heritage Foundation of Quebec, the Simon Fraser House was restored in 1962, in keeping with the evolution of the building. This work is carried out under the direction of the architect Percy Roy Wilson (1900-2001), one of the precursors of modern architectural restoration in the Montreal area. The Simon Fraser House was listed in 1962. It was sold to the Canadian Heritage Foundation of Quebec in 1965.

• City Hall
  

  109, rue Sainte-Anne, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue

  The Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue city hall was built in 1860. At the time, it was a private residence belonging to Pascal Pilon. The City of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue (incorporated on April 18, 1878) only acquired this building in 1907 and then proceeded to renovate it into a city hall to accommodate a council chamber and various public utility offices. The building has been transformed many times since it became municipal property, accommodating a post office, the local police headquarters, and the local fire department at various points in its history. In 2013, in order to emphasize the great heritage value of the building, the façade was completely restored to its 1935 character.

• Maison de la Baie d’Hudson
  

  9, rue Sainte-Anne, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue

  In the late 1790’s or early 1800’s, this house was built for use as a fur warehouse by Peter Grant, an officier of the North West Company. The house became the property of the Hudson’s Bay Company in the 1820’s when the two companies merged. The new company used the building for commercial and storage purposes. Subsequently, the building served as an RCMP barracks before being converted into a hotel at the end of the 19th century. The hotel was much appreciated by the villagers becaused it housed Mrs. Wright’s Tea Room and a dance hall. The mansonry of this house features field stone walls with quoins. Its original gable roof had a fire wall which was demolished when the roof was transformed into a mansard roof at the end of the 19th century.

  
  Credit : Anne-Marie Dufour

• G. D’Aoust & Cie
  

  73 Rue Sainte-Anne, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue

  Established in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue since 1900, G. D’Aoust & Cie was the first department store between Lachine and Valleyfield. Its location proved to be strategic as Montreal’s big financiers built luxury summer homes on the shores of the Lake. This exclusive clientele pushed the owner to travel the world in search of luxury goods. The store still belongs to the D’Aoust family.