Nuns' Island

The Île des Sœurs ("Island of Nuns " ) is an island in the southwest of the Canadian province of Quebec. It is located in St. Lawrence River, is part of the Hochelaga Archipelago and is separated from the Ile de Montréal through a 300 -meter-wide tributary. The 3.74 km ² island is part of the arrondissement of the city of Verdun Montreal. On the Île des Sœurs live around 16,000 inhabitants.

Description

Reachable the Île des Sœurs is about three highway bridges, which meet in the far north of the island. The Autoroute 15 (also Autoroute Décarie called ) connects the Île des Sœurs across Pont Champlain with the Île de Montréal and the Pont de l' Île -des- Sœurs (which is part of the Pont Champlain ) with the mainland. The Pont Clément leads to Autoroute 10 ( Autoroute Bonaventure ).

The island is mostly a densely populated residential area due to its proximity to the city center. With the exception of the northern end it is largely free from through traffic, which is why real estate prices are higher than average. The 26 -hectare Domaine Saint -Paul in the southern part is a natural forest. The area serves as a nesting ground for over a hundred species of birds. Near the forest is a small lake, Lac des Battures that was created in the 1990s after a landfill was planned there first.

History

Original name Île Saint -Paul, Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve named after the founder of the city of Montreal. 1634 acquired Jean de Lauzon, who later became governor of New France, the island. She was part of the extended Seigneurie La Citière on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River.

After various changes of ownership, the island was divided between the Seigneurien Saint -Paul and La Noue 1668. 1706 acquired the nuns of the Congregation of Notre-Dame de Montréal, founded by Marguerite Bourgeoys a religious community, the Seigneurie La Noue. After the British conquest, the other Seigneurie was auctioned in 1769; the award went to the religious community, which remained for the next 250 years in possession of the island. The present name was first published in the mid-19th century, then still in English form Nuns ' Iceland, and sat down finally in 1950 by.

The nuns operated on the island of Agriculture, buildings erected and later discovered women who helped them with the livestock. As a result of a dispute between the Order and the municipality of Verdun in a tax matter, the island to which even led no bridge was declared an independent parish, which was named L'Île -Saint -Paul. 1956 sold his land to the Order of the Quebec Home and Mortgage Company and gave the agriculture. In the same year, the provincial government ordered the merger of L'Île -Saint -Paul with Verdun.

With the opening of the Pont Champlain in 1962, the scheduled opening of the Île des Sœurs began. The company Metropolitan Structures from Chicago continued to pursue a master plan of the planning office Johnson, Johnson, and Roy. Instrumental in the design was the renowned German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. According to his plans came to 1969 three residential towers and a filling station in the modernist style.