The man who designed the churches of Montreal

In Montreal, journalist Louis-Philippe Messier travels mostly on the run, his desk in his backpack, on the lookout for fascinating subjects and people. He speaks to everyone and is interested in all walks of life in this urban chronicle.

The many churches in Montreal are much more empty than full (except at Christmas!) and a designer has decided to help people discover these great little-known places thanks to his talent for urban art. This sketch artist has already visited and drawn around fifty of the city’s 214 Catholic churches in order to tell their story… which is, after all, part of ours.

Christmas is approaching and it is often on this occasion that, for the only time of the year, churches fill up for a mass.

On a daily basis, several of these buildings, although so monumental, remain invisible.

“Can we imagine Montreal without churches? It is not without reason that the writer Mark Twain would have coined the expression “city of a hundred spires” to describe our metropolis,” exclaims François Guillet.

A copy of his brand new book, Montreal from bell tower to bell tower, was sent to me.

“This is a great Christmas theme!” I said to myself.

Of course, the artist had his drawing pad and pencils for the interview.

A lost French tourist approaches us on rue Saint-Paul:

“This is the Notre-Dame basilica, right?”

“No, that’s the Chapel Our Lady of Good Help! But walk ten minutes west and you will come across the basilica, you won’t be able to miss it: it’s huge,” Mr. Guillet informs him.

Fascination

The urban sketch specialist arranged to meet me in front of the very first chapel in Montreal, where in a crypt lies the remains of Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys, Montreal’s first teacher.

A five-meter statue of the Virgin, a work called Star of the sea, stands on the bell tower of the chapel and faces the river to greet and bless the sailors.

Fascinated children stop to observe the work that Mr. Guillet, seated on a bench, is creating.

In three minutes, we went from a blank page to a recognizable sketch of the altar and the elements surrounding it.

“Do you see all these little boats hanging with lit lanterns on them? They were offered to the chapel by sailors who thanked the Virgin for having saved them from a shipwreck,” Mr. Guillet tells me.

While observing Mr. Guillet at work, I realize that several details of this magnificent chapel draw my attention to his drawing… details that I would not necessarily have noticed with my own eyes because there are so many things to see. see here.

“I hope that my book will inspire people to schedule times to enter the most beautiful churches in Montreal and to take the time to observe and get to know them.”

“Whether you are a believer or not, the magic of churches is to offer a sanctuary. For example, if you take Saint-Patrick’s Basilica in the city center, you have bustling René-Lévesque Boulevard and, as soon as you cross the doors, you have total peace.

Disappearance

If there are still 214 churches in Montreal, this is a figure that will have to be revised downward over the years, if the trend continues.

“Several of the churches that I visited, I had to go there precisely during masses, because otherwise, their doors are closed… Some are more or less abandoned, it is really sad.”

François Guillet gives introductory drawing classes every Saturday in his hometown of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.

“I like drawing where you feel the line vibrating, instead of drawing straight lines, I make several small lines,” he explains to me.

For his book, he had to choose around thirty Catholic churches, including some Irish, Ukrainian, Syrian and Lebanese. He also added Protestant churches, a synagogue, a mosque, as well as Hindu and Sikh temples.

Will he finish his tour of the 214 churches in Montreal?

“Maybe! he replies, laughing. But my next book project will be a drawing tour of the most beautiful cemeteries in Quebec, starting with that of Sainte-Luce-sur-Mer near Rimouski.”