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I explored downtown Montréal after visiting Olympic Park (Parc Olympique). There are some very interesting buildings and parks to be found.
Christ Church Cathedral
My first stop was at Christ Church Cathedral, an Anglican cathedral built in 1859 and consecrated in 1867. The first Anglican cathedral was located in Old Montréal (Vieux-Montréal). It was built in 1814 but burned down in 1856.
Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral
From there, I walked to the Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral (Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde), built in 1894. It’s the third largest church in Québec and a 1/5 replica of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City. It was originally consecrated as St. James Cathedral but was rededicated in 1955. Unfortunately, it was closed.
Sun Life Building
Across the street is the Sun Life Building. This historic office building was built between 1913 and 1931. It stands 24 stories high and at the time it was built was the largest building by volume in the entire British Empire.
Place du Canada
Next to the cathedral is Place du Canada, a park with a cenotaph and the Macdonald Monument, which honors John A. Macdonald, the first Prime Minister of Canada. It’s used for Remembrance Day ceremonies every November 11.
Dorchester Square
Across the street is Dorchester Square (Square Dorchester), which dates back to 1878. There are four monuments in the square including the Boer War Memorial, the only equestrian statue in Montréal. Both Place du Canada and Dorchester Square were actually developed together as Dominion Square.
Saint-Catherine and Crescent Streets
The shopping street of Sainte-Catherine (Rue Sainte-Catherine) was the next part of my tour, followed by a walk down Crescent Street (Rue Crescent) and Sherbrooke Street (Rue Sherbrooke). I had been in these areas before, so I didn’t make any special stops. Crescent Street has a good nightlife scene that I took advantage of the last two visits. It turns into an open air festival the week of the Canadian Grand Prix.
Sherbrooke Street
I walked up Crescent Street to Sherbrooke Street, where the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts (Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal) is located. Across the street is the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul, a Presbyterian church built in 1932 after the merger of two older churches in 1918.
A bit further down Sherbrooke is Le Château, a magnificent apartment building constructed in 1926. It’s home to several famous residents.
Underground City
You might want to pop down into the Underground City, a 12km2 maze connecting apartments, hotels, banks, offices, shops, restaurants and seven metro stations throughout Downtown Montréal. Some people can live their lives in Montréal without ever having to go outside in winter!
