Along the Waterfront in Vieux Port

cmw2559
Jun 27, 2024
3 min read

There is so much to see in the Old Port area of Montreal! Yesterday (June 26th), we walked east towards the other end of the Old Port from where we were earlier this week. This means walking towards the Clock Tower and the entrance to the Montreal Harbor. Along the way is the Ferris Wheel and (in winter) the skating rink. Coming north from the waterfront and back into the city, we visited a beautiful church.

As if we should forget that the Old Port's beginnings come from brave seafarers and their passengers coming across the Atlantic on tiny sailing ships, then sailing up the St. Lawrence through rapids and narrow channels to found and grow an outpost in the wilderness. The anchor is just a reminder.

Nearby is a present-day invitation to enjoy the modern Montreal. The skating rink (unfrozen) is in the foreground. The city rises behind.

Just to the east is the Montreal Yacht Club with its many power boats. You can see the Clock Tower to the left at the tip of the land.

On the other side of the River is a geodesic dome and, much further to the east, appear mountains from the northern Appalachian chain. The dome is the Montreal Biosphere, a municipally-operated museum. It was the American pavilion in the 1967 World's Fair.

If we look east along the River from the waterfront, we can see the fast-moving River flowing northeast. The green bell out in the River marks the northern edge of the channel. You can see the darker, rougher water to its south that is part of the River's main channel flowing northeast.

Now, let's turn back to the City and head north. The first significant and historical structure we see is the Sailor's Church.

This was the first thing returning sailors saw when they arrived back in Montreal. And it was the last thing they saw when they left.

We were able to go inside (see the pictures below) and climb up to just below the top statue. The picture below is of the angel on the left.

Also from the top, looking further north and just above the nearby buildings, you can just see the cross at the top of Mont Royal.

Inside, you can see the beauty and the energy of the worship and prayers. Notice the ship hung above the pews.

The altar in detail:

The site have archeological material going back 2400 years.

As you can see from this diagram, Marguerite Bourgeoys (1620 - 1700) led the construction of a small chapel on this site. about 25 years after Champlain established the original outpost, Ville-Marie. There is a fascinating museum dedicated to her work here in establishing the church and, before that, her establishing a school for the children of the outpost. All this was done starting when she first arrived from Troyes, France in 1653. She founded a convent and educated young girls, the poor and children of First Nations tribes until she dies in 1700. The original church was destroyed by fire in 1754.