Montreal City Hall

Here you are on Place Vauquelin, nestled between two massive municipal buildings. On your left stands the former courthouse, and on your right, Montréal’s City Hall. Both were designed by architect Henri Maurice Perrault. One of the city’s most emblematic buildings, the City Hall was built in a Second Empire style, a movement which began in France in the late 19th century under Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie. Here’s a fun fact: it was from this balcony that French President Charles de Gaulle famously declared “Vive le Québec libre!” during his visit in 1967, meaning “Long live free Quebec!”. Later on, Montréal City Hall was listed as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1984. As for the former courthouse across the square, it was built in a neoclassical style in the late 19th century, just like the building beside it. But long before that, in 1692, the site was home to Jesuits—members of the Society of Jesus—who had been sent to evangelize the Indigenous peoples of New France, France’s colonial territory in North America.However, know that, at the time, New France extended far beyond present-day Québec, stretching from northern Canada down to Louisiana. When France lost the Seven Years’ War and the British invaded these territories in 1760, the Jesuit monastery was repurposed for judicial administration. Over time, the Jesuit community disappeared as they were no longer allowed to recruit new members. Soon, their property became that of the British Crown, and it was eventually demolished to make way for the city’s first official courthouse. Today, this building houses Montréal’s finance department, as a newer and larger courthouse has been constructed nearby.