Visiting Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel in Montréal
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Looking for something unique to do while visiting Montréal? Consider visiting Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel. This spot offers a glimpse into the city’s rich religious and maritime history. It also offers some gorgeous views of Old Port and the St. Lawrence River.
History of the Chapel
This chapel located in Old Montréal was built in 1771 and it is the oldest stone chapel in Montréal. The church was founded by Marguerite Bourgeoys. She also founded the Congregation of Notre-Dame, which is a nuns’ order.
In the 19th century, the chapel became a popular place of prayer for sailors. It was then that it became known as “The Sailor’s Church.” Many sailors who came to Montréal would go to the church to pray and offer thanks for safe passage. There are miniature ships hanging from the vault of the chapel today that serve as a reminder of their faith in Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours.
Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel served as a chapel, a school, and a religious community. The children of the colony were educated about reading, counting, and writing while also discovering faith. Older girls would learn skills that would prepare them for their futures of being wives and mothers. You can learn about much of this history inside the museum.
Visting the Chapel
The chapel is completely free to visit. Simply walk in through the doors on Rue Saint-Paul E. Stepping inside the chapel feels a bit like stepping back in time. If you visit, I encourage you to take your time as you walk through the chapel. The architecture is beautiful and there are many intricate details throughout.
Inside the chapel can be very peaceful, but it can get pretty busy inside, especially because it’s free. When I visited, it was midday and there were a lot of school-aged children that appeared to be on a field trip. While the adults did their best to shush them, the kids were a bit loud, which took away from the peacefulness.
If you’re looking to go to the chapel for quiet prayer, I recommend going early in the morning or later in the day. While it was really busy when I got there, it had calmed down quite a bit in the time it took for me to go through the museum portion. That was when I really was able to appreciate inside of the chapel.
Visting the Museum Section
There is also a museum section. When I went, I did not order tickets ahead of time. I walked into the gift shop and bought a ticket. It was self-guided so I could go through the museum at my own pace.
There are several different sections inside the museum. The first section gives you a detailed history of the area and the chapel. There are a lot of different things to read, but if that’s not your thing, there’s a video as well.
Additionally, there are a lot of very interesting artifacts in this section of the museum. I was really interested in the portion that was in the old school room. There were different items on display that would have been used in the school at the chapel. There was also a slideshow of pictures from the school that I enjoyed seeing. It was a great glimpse into the building’s past.
Climbing to the Lookout
This was perhaps my favorite part of the museum. If you love a good water view, you’ll love this section. You get to climb to the top of the chapel!
You’ll go up a narrow, antique staircase to climb to the top. There are some spots where the ceiling is a bit low, so you’ll need to watch your steps and your head!
First, you’ll get to an open landing that offers some beautiful views of Old Port down below. You’ll see landmarks such as the Montréal Clock Tower, the Montreal Biosphere, La Grande Roue de Montréal, and the Jacques Cartier Bridge.
You’ll also see some of the details of the statues that are on top of the chapel. You’ll be nice and close to them while up here!
Believe it or not, you can actually go higher up as well. You’ll enter a door (it’s clearly marked) to enter a room that has another staircase you can go up. Inside this room there are some stained-glass windows to admire before you climb up.
Unlike the previous landing, the next one is fenced in. But, it’s not super high so you can still very much enjoy the views. You’ll be quite a bit higher up from the landing. You’ll have essentially the same views as before, but you’ll have a better vantage point to see some buildings that were a bit covered before.
Going Down Into The Crypt
The last section of the museum is the crypt. In the crypt, they have artifacts on display as well as Indigenous relics dating back over 2,400 years. There is also some information down here about how this part of the chapel was built, which I found interesting.
Is It Worth A Visit?
I’d say so! This chapel is a very important part of Montréal’s history. In addition to being a piece of preserved history, it also offers some great views of the waterfront in Old Montréal. Even if you’re not interested in religion or history, the views from the top alone are worth paying for the admission to the museum.
