Chapel in Old Montreal, a photo from Quebec, Central

Photographer's Note

The Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel is a church in the district of Old Montreal in Montreal, Quebec. One of the oldest churches in Montreal, it was built in 1771 over the ruins of an earlier chapel.,and it can be reached by the Metro Champs de Mars.

Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys, was born in 1620 in Troyes, France. As a young woman, she taught poor children and recruited other women to help in this effort. In 1653, Marguerite Bourgeoys agreed to go to New France, at the request of the colonial governor, to teach French and First Nations children in the tiny colonial city of Ville-Marie (now Montreal). Just two years later, in a settlement that was still struggling to survive, she began her effort to build a Catholic chapel for the colonists. She opened Montreal's first school in 1658 in an old stable. When the French government sent young, unmarried women to Montreal to marry colonists, Bourgeoys gave them a place to live and taught them about life in New France.

In the 19th century, the chapel came to be a pilgrimage site for the sailors who arrived in the Old Port of Montreal; they would make offerings to the Virgin in gratitude for her "good help" for safe sea voyages. In 1849, Mgr. Ignace Bourget, Bishop of Montreal, gave the chapel a statue of the Virgin as Star of the Sea, which was placed atop the church overlooking the harbour. Emphasizing the connection of the chapel and the port, the chapel is often called the Sailors' Church.

The original Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel burned down in 1754, but a small wooden statue of Mary that Marguerite Bourgeoys brought to Montreal from France survived the fire. When the chapel was rebuilt in 1771, the statue was placed at the side altar that is left of the main altar. In 2005, Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys' remains were moved to a tomb at that same side altar.

The chapel now also houses the Marguerite Bourgeoys Museum, dedicated to the life of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys and to the early history of Montreal and the chapel site. Below the chapel, the crypt is being excavated as an archeological site, which visitors can see. First Nations and French colonial artifacts have been discovered, along with the foundations of the first chapel and the fortifications of the colony. The church's prominent spire can also be climbed, offering views of the Old Port and Saint Lawrence River. In 2005, Marguerite Bourgeoys's mortal remains were brought back to the church, where she now lies in the sanctuary.

Inside the chapel, you will see small model boats containing votive lights hanging from the ceiling. Sailors made the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel a place of pilgrimage, and the boats represent their devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and their gratitude for safe voyages. The first model boat was presented to the chapel in 1872

Sources:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre-Dame-de-Bon- Secours_Chapel
http://seniortravel.about.com

jacquest, pajaran, danos, chrislo, snunney, saxo042, patpatch, mehrdad-t, bona, pierrefonds, Gigidusud, ruisc_pt, adores, PaulVDV, ikeharel oznaczył to zdjęcie jeko użyteczne

Critiques | Translate

jacquest (19269) 2014-01-07 15:14

Hello Anna,

This is another amazing night image. The larger size version has so much clear details and sharpness. The point of view is well chosen and I like the way you off centered the tower. The light in the overcast sky is typical of winter and makes a good background for the architecture. Really well done.

Best regards

Jacques

Corry (4508) 2014-01-07 20:01

Bonsoir Anna

Trčs belle prise de vue nocturne avec une belle illumination des bâtiments. Excellent point de vue. Bonne netteté de l'image. Trčs bien fait. Salutations.

Yvon

jurek1951 (42198) 2014-01-07 21:40

Hi Anna,
fascinating nocturne shoot, great view of fantastic skyscrapers, excellent exposure, wonderful colors and splendid light,
georg

pajaran (117201) 2014-01-07 22:38

Pozdrav.
Interesantan i dobar tekst o crkvi, sa istorijom i opisom ...
Lep pogled u noci sa snegom ...
Dobar snimak, lepo pokazano mesto i arhitektura, lepe boje.
Lep trenutak u noci sa snegom i arhitektura.
Sve najbolje.
Paja.

Greetings.
Interesting and good article about the church, with a history and description of the ...
Nice view at night with snow ...
Good shot, nice place and demonstrated architecture, beautiful colors.
Nice moment of the night with snow and architecture.
All the best.
Paja.

tenretin (3275) 2014-01-07 23:34

Hello Anna,
Une belle vue pas trop centrée et une atmosphčre froide. Belle photo avec pas mal de détails intéressants.
Bien vu !
Cordialement,
JP

emka (158962) 2014-01-07 23:41

hello Anna,

You had fantastic white Christmas in montreal, I suppose. Splendid night winter view. marvelous lights, excellent composition.

Warm regards Malgo

Fis2 (172083) 2014-01-07 23:44

Witaj Anna!
A very interesting church.
Curious tower.
I like frame andnice colors.
Well done.
Best regards
Krzysztof

danos (110407) 2014-01-08 0:48

Hi Anna,
fascinating the night shot from this section of Montreal with the church to dominating the image,as completed from the big statue as the bell tower of it.I like the excellent light and colour management as the beauty and the clarity of the night scene.Well done.

Regards,Danos

chrislo (4099) 2014-01-08 1:21

Hello Anna,
A splendid night shot with spot-on exposure. The sight of the illuminated buildings is very appealing and the snow adds beauty to the cold winter mood. I like the way the colour of the sky blends in nicely with the tones of the buildings. Well done.
Kind regards,
Christian

lousat (140070) 2014-01-08 2:01

Hi Anna,spectacular night pic in these very cold days as i can see on TV.The quality is the best like in your last post,great exposure and perfect details,the chapel is very elegant and interesting and i like how you play with its silhouette.Have a nice day and thanks,Luciano

snunney (130967) 2014-01-08 2:07

Hello Anna,
What a really splendid night time composition. Ideally framed and exposed to perfection. I like the animated atmosphere and, especially, the superb detail. Very well done, thanks for sharing.

Miguel82 (47110) 2014-01-08 5:56

What a nice night view of Notre Dame de Bon secours Chapel Anna, good light management, you succeed in capturing the whole monument in your frame, nice winter view, have a nice day

Sergiom (117241) 2014-01-08 5:56

Bonjour Anna

Tu as trčs bien réussi cette photo de nuit du vieux Montréal. La luminosité est superbement contrôlée et les reflets de la neige sur le ciel qui en devient presque brun sont de toute beauté.

Amicalement

Serge

saxo042 (38078) 2014-01-08 7:50

Hi Anna,
A very pleasant winter scene with snow and beautiful illuminations over the attractive architecture. Very soft and good colours.
Kind regards
Gunnar

Silvio1953 (223103) 2014-01-08 9:13

Ciao Anna, fascinating nocturne shoot with fantastic architecture, great exposure, splendid light and wonderful colors, very well done my friend, ciao Silvio

patpatch (1601) 2014-01-08 9:41

Hello Anna.

I like the play of the light on the walls,and the very strange color of the sky(just before a snowfall maybe ?).

Good depth and a lot of details,the sharpness is splendid(you didn't shake in spite of the cold temperature).
Light and colors are very well managed,i also like the reflexion of the yellow light in the water.

Cogratulation.
Friendly.

Patrick

aleXundar (1256) 2014-01-08 10:04

Hello Anna,
Magnificent view of the chapel in lights. Very delicate colors and a unique sky. Wonderful pov with great details of the architecture.
A super shot. Tfs.
With regards,
Alekhya

holmertz (103732) 2014-01-08 10:58

Hello Anna,
This is an impressive night photo. The silhouettes of the church tower and the statue look magnificent against the dark grey sky (with a touch of yellow from the city lights). The fine light shining on the elegant façades has been perfectly well exposed and there is enough light in the darker foreground to let us see the people very clearly.
A very well composed and managed photo.
Kind regards,
Gert

mehrdad-t (4812) 2014-01-09 7:15 [Comment]

Show Comment [workshop] [compare]

eldancer1 (36343) 2014-01-09 10:20

Awesome capture of this beautiful church and thanks for the wonderful information, learn something new everyday from TE. I like the lighting and it has good dof with nice details. Well done, tfs.

bona (15057) 2014-01-09 13:16

Hello Anna,

what a beautiful building. Love the light you got and the iced streets.

Thanks
Andre

pierrefonds (115677) 2014-01-10 4:30

Hi Anna,

The street lights and the light of the projectors have a special effectv on the colors. Using probably a support and and a long shutter speed is alloweing me to see the details and colors of the buildings. Well done, have a nice day.

Pierre

omid266 (6816) 2014-01-10 6:52

Hi Anna ,

Salam , Happy 2014 !

Thanks alot ,

All the Best with this ancient and old Church , In Canda

that has a cold and snowy climate.

*** PEACE And Happiness ***

Best Regards ,

Have a Successful year ,

Keep sharing your works with us ,

Omid - I.R.I

rigoletto (34279) 2014-01-13 8:03

hi anna. beautiful winter evening, looks rather cold for setting your tripod, but you probably did it to obtain such a well lit and sharp image. i appreciate your choosing of color temperature, the colors look so real to the eye.

jmdias (116635) 2014-01-13 23:40

anna

marvelous nocturne view, the quality of the image is fantastic with good sharpness that let us to see many details. I would like to include more of the building at left or make a vertical framing with the church and these reflections in the river. anyway a marvelous job.

hugs

jorge

vivichabot (30) 2014-01-14 14:00

When you see picture like this one that you appreciate winter and Canada! I like the colors and the ambiance. Good work!

Gigidusud (21679) 2014-01-19 11:22

Hello Anna,
Splendid winter composition with beautiful architecture, nice silver and golden tones and great reflections on the ice. Great night shot, I like it!
Best regards,
Gigi

ruisc_pt (11594) 2014-01-20 8:39

Hi Anna,
Great note and good composition. Difficult to realize this sky and night lights as it shows.
TFS
R

adores (46979) 2014-01-20 15:35

Hi Anna!
A good night shot, with a good composition and exposure!I like the architecture, the winter atmosphere and the people around.

Angshu (56760) 2014-01-23 22:02

Hello Anna
The light has been exquisitely captured. The clarity and crispness of the picture attracts me a lot. Well done with the exposure to get this precise picture...
Have a good WE
With Regards
Angshu

icesurfer (574) 2014-02-03 14:22

Hello Anna,

Wonderful night landscape of the Chapel. The long exposure makes the most of the numerous lights. The snow in the foreground and the dimmed light of the sky add an ethereal feel to the overall composition.

TFS!

Alberto

PaulVDV (63574) 2014-02-15 12:30

Hello Anna,
Now, this is a splendid night shot.
You've chosen a very good POV to show us the towers, spires and statues of the church all nicely on a row.
I really admire the clarity and the sharpness of this picture.
You provided an attractive but cold foreground :) with some beautiful light reflections on the ice.
Best regards, Paul

PiotrF (56188) 2014-06-11 14:21

Hello Anna,
Nice nocturne shoot, nice sharpness. Excellent composition, colour and presentation be superb.
I am really impressed.
Regards
Piotr.

smash2707 (3320) 2014-08-11 12:17

Nice night shot. Excellent light management and great sharpness which allows us to view all the details. I like the overall composition, but I think I would have included a bit of more space above the church. The inclusion of the people in the front lets us appreciate the real dimensions of the buildings, plus I love silhouettes