Montreal- City of a 100 steeples
Granted this city isn’t a part of America right now, but as one of the early settlements of New World, this French city had as much a part to play in the history of America as Philadelphia or New York.
The City of a Hundred Steeples, as Mark Twain called it, gets its charm from the numerous churches representing the faith of both Francophones and Anglophones. While the Montréalistes boast about the dramatic gothic interior of Notre Dame or the massive dome of Saint Joseph’s Oratory, the one I found most interesting was the Church of St. Michael and St. Anthony at Mile End. This Roman Catholic church was built in Orthodox Byzantine-style so that the fewer columns can give it the capacity to hold 1400 people. This church, like a lot of other things in Montreal depicts the New World(or American) ways of the original settlers of the continent who prioritized function over aesthetics.
Throughout its 400 year old history, there are ample examples of such pragmatism. Montreal’s foundation was a mission of 50 recruits, but unable to convince the nomadic aboriginals to settle, they soon pivot to fur trade and went down south expanding, exploring and founding the state of Louisiana and the port of New Orleans (notice the resemblance between Old Montreal and French Quarters).
Instead of waging endless wars with the Iroquois and wasting resources, they decided to bring all natives together for The Great Peace. Despite its convenient position as a major port, they adopted railroads and soon became a manufacturing hub for the same. They understood the ill-effects of urbanization and industrialization pretty early and started a public hygiene movement at the dawn of 20th century itself. And if you are wondering why this French city is famous for bagels or why their largest park was designed by Olmstead, well the Montréalistes did their best to lure the New Yorker tourists deprived of their “spirit” during Prohibition. It’s this acumen of the Montréalistes that in 400 years, the city has not only sustained but flourished maintaining its status as the largest metropolis of Canada.
But what sets it apart from other American cities is the fact that in these 400 years, the Montréalistes stayed true to their roots. The streets are still called Rue, the greeting still Bonjour and they do it with such warmth that by the end of the trip, even I found myself using Bonjour and merci. People still prefer to live in Victorian era duplexes and not apartment buildings. The evening reverberates with the sound of live French Jazz, and morning brings the aroma of coffee and pastries. You can even walk above the excavated history on the glass floor of Pointe-à-Callière and go from one end of the museum to another via that centuries old sewer adorned with lights. The city has preserved every ounce of their heritage in Old Montreal.
I would love to live in Montreal someday. Why not? They have history, culture, jazz over wine and palatial coffee houses with fresh pastries where I can sit and read(or write) the entire day without being bothered by insensitive people talking on the phone. Yes, they won’t speak my tongue and I have to learn French. But what better way there is to come out of one’s comfort zone and learn another beautiful language by being with these extremely nice French “Canadiens”.
Fun fact: The name Montreal comes from Mount Royal, the volcanic-hill located in the middle of the city, réal being synonymous with royal in French.
