Bell tower of the Saint-Sauveur Church

The old bell-tower of Saint-Sauveur church

The Montreal audio-guided tour lets you discover a moving curiosity: the tower of a bell-tower, standing alone and attached to the ultramodern buildings of the Montreal university hospital. It is approached with respect, for it is the only remnant of Saint-Sauveur church, demolished in 2011.

A remnant of the religious past

Saint-Sauveur church was demolished in 2011 to allow the construction of the new site of the University of Montreal Hospital Centre, the largest university hospital in Quebec. This centre was born, in the late 1990s, from the merger of three Montreal hospitals, including the Hôtel-Dieu, founded in 1642 by Jeanne Mance, one of the founders of the city. The bell-tower was kept in memory of that past.

What there is to see

The contrast between the stone bell-tower, a witness to Montreal's religious past, and the glass façades of the hospital centre is striking. Recalled with respect, this remnant evokes the memory of vanished places and the history of the city's care institutions, since the Hôtel-Dieu of Jeanne Mance. It is a symbol of continuity between past and present.

Practical information

The old bell-tower of Saint-Sauveur church is in the heart of downtown Montreal, integrated into the site of the University of Montreal Hospital Centre. It can be contemplated freely from the street at all hours; the hospital centre is a care site with regulated access.

Why is the bell-tower attached to a hospital?

Saint-Sauveur church was demolished in 2011 to build the new site of the Montreal university hospital. The bell-tower was kept as the only remnant of the religious building.

Who founded the Hôtel-Dieu of Montreal?

The Hôtel-Dieu, one of the hospitals at the origin of the university hospital, was founded in 1642 by Jeanne Mance, one of the founders of Montreal.