“It was the apocalypse. “Simon Blanchet, programming director of the chapel of the Bon-Pasteur, did not believe his eyes, when he entered, Saturday, in this prestigious concert hall of classical music which he directs.
Like dozens of other occupants of the Bon-Pasteur monastery, he was invited to come and collect his personal belongings there, after firefighters from the Montreal Fire Department (SIM) finally brought the blaze burning in the building under control. Montreal heritage building since Thursday afternoon.
“Everything was very wet. It was as if the rain was falling from the ceiling,” observes Mr. Blanchet, who is nevertheless delighted that the most precious objects have been relatively spared, in particular a Fazioli concert piano and a Kirkman harpsichord from 1772 – both belonging to to the City of Montreal.
“At least the harpsichord has already been taken to specialist Yves Beaupré for restoration,” he adds. The piano was on its way out of the building as these lines were written. Both instruments were protected by a cover during the fire and could still be saved.
Yoan Leviel, head of communications at the Studio de musique contemporaine de Montréal (SMAM), is delighted that “the structure of the building has not been affected too much, even though water is dripping everywhere and the scene is apocalyptic”.
Remember that the monastery houses a residence for the elderly and a housing cooperative. Several non-profit organizations also occupy offices inside the building, while the chapel in the center was restored in 1985 to become the room run by Mr. Blanchet and where the SMAM sometimes presents shows.
The City of Montreal questioned
On Saturday, the SMAM sent a press release calling on the City of Montreal to “quickly present a reconstruction plan” for the building, evoking the importance of the place for the entire Montreal musical community. It is also the City of Montreal which owns the premises, specifies Mr. Blanchet.
“The Chapel offered the opportunity to present concerts at a reduced rate in order to bring together a younger audience and the next generation of artists in a historic setting,” the press release reads. The Montreal Early Music Studio presented a special series of 4 intimate concerts highlighting the emerging artists of early music. »
“It’s the house of the entire sector of baroque, early and classical music here that burned down,” adds Mr. Leviel, who wants to take action quickly, in order to restore not only the chapel, but also the whole monastery.
Mr. Blanchet says he is satisfied, for the moment, that the mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, as well as the Minister of Culture of Quebec, Mathieu Lacombe, have sent “positive messages”. Mme Plante indeed suggested on Friday that the building could be rebuilt, and Mr. Lacombe indicated that he would find “solutions” with the mayor.
“We will have to wait to have a complete assessment of the damage, but for the moment, I am optimistic”, specifies Mr. Blanchet. The latter also does not rule out moving his cultural activities planned for next fall to another place, “but it is still too early to confirm anything right away”.