MONTREAL COLLEGE
Three years after its inauguration the Collége de St. Raphaël in 1773 staged a tragedy in three acts, presented by its scholars. It was printed in 1776, “Chez Fleury Mesplet et Ch. Berger, Imprimeurs et Libraires” and was entitled “Jonathan et David, ou Le Triomphe de L’Amitié.” Declamations, little pieces, lyrical or tragical, formal compliments to the students or the professors used to take place at the end of the distribution of prizes or on the jour de fête of the principal.
M. Montgolfier wrote on August 25, 1778, to Bishop Briand acquainting him that “His Excellency, Sir Frederick Haldimand, had been present at the little tragedy of the Sacrifice of Abraham at the completion of the classes; at the end of the distribution of prizes he has given much praise to this establishment and, having learnt from me that this house has no fixed revenue he sent me next day a present of 100 guineas for the college and at the same time, 50 guineas for the Hospital General ‘for the work of the foundlings there.’”
In the great fire of 1803, the Collége of St. Raphaël was destroyed in June 6th. It was rebuilt in 1804, at the expense of the Seminary of St. Sulpice, on College Street, not far from the “little river” and was opened on October, 1804, under the name of the “Collège or the Petit Séminaire de Montréal.” The seminary remained on College Street till it was transferred to a portion of the fine establishment of the Grand Seminary which was built between 1854-1857 by the Seminary at the old Mountain Fort or the “Fort des Messieurs,” being opened the 18th of January, 1862. The old college was rented to the British government for a barracks for the soldiers who entered the city on December, 1861. The Collège de Montréal has remained on its present site ever since.
The school of theology was founded in 1825 by Mgr. Lartigue in his Episcopal residence at St. James church on St. Denis Street. In 1840 it was transferred, having about fifteen students, to the Collège de Montréal on College Street and took the name of the “Grand Séminaire.” In 1857 it was again transferred, to the present site at the old “Fort des Messieurs,” the new building being commenced on September 8, 1854, and blessed on September 8, 1857. The superiors of the Grand Séminaire since its foundation have been:
Pierre Louis Billaudèle, 1840-1846; Joseph Alexandre Baile, 1846-1866; Jean Baptiste Benoit Larue, 1866-1871; Jules Claude Delavigne, 1871-1872; Frederic Louis Colin, 1872-1881; Isaie Marie Charles Lecoq, 1881-1903; Ferdinand Louis Lelandais, 1903.
The Collège de Ste. Marie is the successor of the attempt made in 1694 to establish a classical college in Montreal. After the return of the Jesuits to Montreal on May 31, 1842, an early invitation came from the citizens to commence a college. On August 20, 1846, land was bought at a very favourable price from M. John Donegani, but before the work was in hand the typhus outbreak intervened. It was not till September 20, 1848, that the school was opened with thirteen pupils in two classes in a temporary frame building still standing at the corner of St. Alexander and Dorchester streets. In May, 1850, the building of the college was renewed and on July 31st the finished college was blessed by Bishop Bourget with the public chapel attached. The Gésu was not built till 1864. The classes to be given were the usual classical course to be followed by a philosophical course.
In 1889 Loyola College was founded as an offshoot of the Collège Ste. Marie, to conduct classical and philosophical courses in English. Its first home was at the southeast corner of St. Catherine and Bleury streets. Fire compelled these premises to be vacated and in 1898 it was transferred to 68 Drummond Street, hitherto known as Doctor Tucker’s School. In 1914 a large college at Notre Dame de Grace is being built to be the future home of the Loyola college.