Founded in 1840 by the Sulpicians, the Grand Seminaire de Montreal is, as the name suggests, the major seminary of one of the great centres of French Canada -- though this present building was moved from in the year 2020. It is the chapel specifically, however, that is the point of interest today. The chapel was constructed in 1864 by the architect John Ostell -- a later convert to Catholicism who originally hailed from London but who migrated to Montreal in the 1830's.
The chapel was designed in the "Beaux-Arts" style -- a style popular in the latter half of the nineteenth century.
The apse painting was executed by the Canadian painter, Joseph Saint-Charles (+1956) and depicts the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple.
A beautiful open-beamed roof is also to be found in the chapel, done in classic Roman basilica style, which is decorated in painted motifs and accented by gold leaf.
A beautiful wrought iron gate can be found at the entrance of the chapel. It was forged in 1904 within the forge of the seminary itself. Visible on the doors are the Latin texts "Haec Domus Dei et Porta Caeli" (This is the House of God and the Gate of Heaven).
Also noteworthy within the chapel is a decorative floor inspired by the cosmatesque designs, while the stalls are made of carved oak.
The walls of the chapel are made of a beautiful quarried stone. You'll see the Stations of the Cross are embedded right into the stone walls, along with the chapel's consecration crosses Above the windows are beautiful designs in addition.
Finally, we'll conclude with a view of the chapel as it stood prior to the 1970's, though as you'll see, it wasn't substantially changed.
