Farms in New France and the General Hospital (18th-19th Centuries), The General Hospital in the 19th Century

The General Hospital in the 19th Century In the 19th century, the garden located behind the hospital is reduced in size due to the building’s expansion, however it continues to be productive until 1871 when the Congregation and its residents move to their newly built Motherhouse. The walls of the compound are demolished, new streets […]
Saint-Charles Farm, A Prosperous Farm for Almost 50 Years

Saint-Charles Farm, Montréal (Côte-de-Liesse) A Prosperous Farm for Almost 50 Years With part of the proceeds from the sale of land at Pointe Saint-Charles, in 1907 the Grey Nuns acquire a parcel of agricultural land in the Côte-de-Liesse municipality. Subsequent acquisitions increase the property to a total of 575 acres, aptly named the Saint-Charles Farm […]
Saint-Charles Farm, A Model Farm

A Model Farm The numerous buildings onsite in 1952 underline its scale: a convent for the Nuns, two stone houses, eight dwellings for employees and their families, a cattle stall, three grain silos, a pigsty, a slaughterhouse, a chicken coop, an apiary, a horse-stable, a granary, sheds, a greenhouse, a soap factory, a cannery, barns, […]
Saint-Charles Farm, Departure

Departure The continual expansion of metropolitan Montréal invariably leads to parcels of land being expropriated for railways, roads, electrical and telecommunication grids, until almost all the properties are sold apart from the lots where the Notre-Dame-de-Liesse School and the Youville Nursery are located. Additionally, the rapid development of the sector and the implementation of factories […]
Saint-Charles Farm, Animals, Women and Men

Animals… An impressive number of livestock is raised on the farm. In 1946, there are 150 Holstein cows including 90 dairy cows, 300 Yorkshire pigs, 3,000 chickens, 1800 hens and 60 draft horses. Sister feeding hens, 1945. Photography: author unknown. Grey Nuns of Montréal’s Archives, Saint-Charles Farm (Montréal, Côte-de-Liesse)’s Fonds, L071-F Hen, undated. Photography: author […]
Farms in New France and the General Hospital (18th-19th Centuries), The Charon Brothers’ Properties

Farms in New France and the General Hospital (18th-19th Centuries) As with most religious congregations in New France, the Grey Nuns of Montréal have a vegetable garden on the premises of the General Hospital, part of a compound that includes several outbuildings located on the Pointe à Callière. Its cultivation ensures a supply of fresh […]