Vieux-Montréal

Original centre of Montréal, Québec, sitauted on the north shore of the St Lawrence River overlooking the harbour. This was the site of the first permanent settlement of the city (‘Ville-Marie’), established in May 1642 and enclosed by a wall during the 18th century. Today it is an historic area, centred around the Place Jacques-Cartier, which slopes downhill from the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall).

Near to Place Jacques-Cartier stands the Place d'Armes, where the Sieur de Maisonneuve defeated an Iroquois force in 1644. Other notable sites in Vieux-Montréal include the Seminary of Saint-Sulpice (1685), the oldest building in the city; the Basilique Nôtre Dame (1824-70); the Château Ramezay (1705), the historic residence of the governor; and the Pointe-à-Callière, cleared in 1611 and used by the first settlers in 1642. Saint James Street (Rue Saint-Jacques) passes along the west side of the district. The area suffered commercial decline after the mid-19th century, but has been substantially redeveloped since the 1960s, and is now a lively focus of business activity, government administration, and tourism.