Required profile
You don’t need to be a historian or even bilingual, as long as you’re comfortable with others, love learning and sharing your knowledge with a diverse clientele, a few hours per week. If, in addition, you’re interested in the history of Quebec and/or of Montreal, you’d be an ideal candidate! Complete training is available. Teamed with an experienced guide, you’ll learn the ropes of our programs and master the pleasures of guiding, at your own pace.
A Risky Business?!
Yes indeed! By becoming a volunteer at the Chateau, you risk making new friends! In addition to the Friends of the Governor’s Garden, volunteer guides are divided into two associations, the French-speaking guides and the English-speaking ones, near 100 members in all. Each group organizes continuing training, outings, and various events over the year. Some volunteers have been with the Chateau for over 25 years!
I want to learn more about our volunteers
Will be back in summer 2023!
In Claude de Ramezay’s lifetime, Montréal was a military town. To help you get a feel for the period, the Anciennes troupes militaires de Montréal recreate the Compagnies franches de la Marine and the 78th Fraser Highlanders during the summer season.
You can meet them at the Château Ramezay, watch them drill and even take photos with them!
The Troop are present from June 24 to September 3, from Wednesday to Sunday.
All summer long, our garden introduces visitors to the world of 18th century horticulture. Take a leisurely stroll through the vegetable garden, the ornamental garden and the orchard. It’s free!
On summer afternoons, between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m until September 3, Friends of the Governor’s Garden are happy to help you explore our splendid oasis. Do you recognize the medicinal herbs? Where are the pear trees? Or the artichoke plants? If you’ve got time, they’ll answer your questions and tell you their favourite historical gardening anecdotes. For families, they have games and challenges!
Volunteers are present depending on the weather and their availability but you can always take advantage of our audio guide in 6 languages and the self-guided tour pamphlet which you’ll find in the Garden.
Lecture Museum Activity Saturday, September 30 and Sunday, October 1st
Ikebana, the art of bringing flowers to life, is an age-old art that comes to us from Japan. The accuracy of an arrangement, or rather of a floral sculpture, is found first in the imagination and the heart of its author, then in the eye of the one who contemplates it. The Ikenobo school is the oldest school in Japan, both classical and modern. Founded by Senmu Ikenobo, it became popular in the 15th century, when the first writings on the art of arranging flowers appeared.
Visitors will be able to admire these floral sculptures at Château Ramezay during the annual exhibition created by students from the Montreal section of the Ikebono school. Exclusive to the Culture Days, these ephemeral works will only be exhibited on September 30 and October 1, 2023.
Visitors will also be invited to draw an arrangement that can be displayed in the corridor leading to the exhibition.
Activity offered as part of Journées de la culture 2023. For the complete program, visit their website.
Photo credit: Raynald Donais.
Lecture by Pierre Lepage, anthropologist and author of Mythes et réalités sur les peuples autochtones (Aboriginal Peoples: Facts and Fiction) Saturday, May 13 at 1:30 p.m.
Over the past 15 years, there has been an unprecedented awakening among First Nations on both political and cultural fronts. As Quebecers, do we have the essential points of reference needed to grasp this fact and overcome long-standing prejudices, clichés and hearsay? These basic essentials will be addressed from the historical perspective, with a focus on aspects which, until very recently, history texts did not teach us.
Free lecture (in French) offered during the Festival d'Histoire de Montréal. For the festival's full program, visit their website.
As places are limited, it is recommended that reservations be made to education@chateauramezay.qc.ca.
Portrait by Louis de Buade, Comte de Frontenac
Entrance Hall, Château Frontenac
Lecture by Roger Barrette from the Commission de la mémoire franco-québécoise
Sunday, May 14 at 1:30 p.m.
What do we know of Frontenac, beyond his famous reply to Phips’s ultimatum, in October 1690? Historian Roger Barrette will present him to you from all angles, even the most surprising and astonishing. Discover the eventful life of the one who was the Governor General of New France for almost 20 years. From his conquests in Court, to his initiatives following the mass killings in Lachine and Lachenaie in 1689, to his rocky relationships with the Governor of Montréal, François-Marie Perrot, and the Montrealers of the time, come find out why we this a historical person we should all get to better know!
For its 125th anniversary, the Château Ramezay had planned a lectures series, which was to be held in the Winter of 2020. However, in accordance with the governmental health guidelines against the spread of the coronavirus, the lectures have been postponed to a later date. To be updated on our new schedule, please return to this page or follow us on our Facebook page.
Lectures are free of attendance for Museum members and cost $5 for non-members.
A lecture by Gilles Laporte (in French) Monday, March 16, 2020 - 1:30 p.m. - POSTPONED
Prof. Laporte has fielded countless questions over the course of thirty years’ teaching about the Patriot Rebellions. These can be reduced to about a dozen that constantly crop up: Why did the Catholic clergy side with the British? What role did women play in this conflict? Was it a social or an ethnic struggle? Did the patriots want independence? Why did armed resistance die away so fast? What role did English-speakers play in this movement? What about the rebellion in Upper Canada?
Questions often reflect the preoccupations of our age: we probe the past to explain the predicaments of the present. Intended primarily for teachers, guides and an informed public, this lecture aims beyond providing simple answers to these questions, which it will indeed do, the better to encourage reflection and a desire to know more about these fascinating and inexhaustible events.
Biography
Gilles Laporte is an historian specializing in the Patriot Rebellions of 1837-38, author of numerous publications including Patriotes et Loyaux (2004), Brève histoire des patriotes (2015) ou Fondements historiques du Québec (Prix du Ministre, 2015). In 2019, he published Infographies Québec, l’histoire du Québec en un coup d’oeil (Septentrion, 2018). He was one of the instigators of “la journée nationale des patriotes”, established in 2002. Named “Patriote de l’année” in 2011, Gilles Laporte was president of the Mouvement national des Québecois from 2013 to 2016. For the past twenty years, he has also administered a web site on the Patriot Rebellions, the largest private site dedicated to the history of Québec, www.1837.qc.ca. He currently teaches the history of Quebec at Cégep du Vieux-Montréal.
A lecture by Fergus Keyes Presented by the Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network Monday, March 23, 2020 – 1:30 p.m. - POSTPONED Lecture in English
For 10 to 12 years, the Montreal Irish Monument Park Foundation has been dedicated to building a beautiful world-class memorial park around the Black Rock on the Montreal side of the Victoria Bridge to remember more than 6 000 Irish victims that died and were buried in the area in 1847.
Fergus Keyes, a founding director of the organization, will provide details on this journey from a concept to reality - and the many difficulties, as well as positive steps that have been encountered along the way. Keyes will discuss some of the main historical elements of this topic as well as bring the audience up to date on the latest developments, including the recent discovery of numerous human remains at the site.
Lecture by Sophie Imbeault and Dave Noël
Monday, April 6 at 1:30 p.m. - POSTPONED
Description:
On September 13, 1759, the French army left its entrenchment at Beauport, having lost the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. Jean-Baptiste-Nicolas-Roch de Ramzay, the King’s Lieutenant, became the sole leader of the Québec garrison. Despite exhaustion and the lack of munitions and provisions, the garrison tried to resist the British, who were preparing the final phase of the siege of the city.
On September 15, Ramezay received a delegation of citizens who had come to request that he accept defeat. The same day, he held a Council of War on the matter and wrote Governor Vaudreuil, alerting him to the urgency of the situation: Québec would be forced to capitulate if help did not arrive by the next day. Vaudreuil immediately dispatched two convoys to Québec.
Ramezay then began discussions with the British to negotiate the surrender. On September 18, at 8 a.m., he signed the articles of capitulation of the capital of New France. French help arrived too late. En route with the army on September 19, Vaudreuil and Lévis learned that Québec had capitulated. The two men expressed their displeasure with Ramezay’s decision.
Questions still remain. Who was responsible for the capitulation? Was it Vaudreuil, by ordering the army to retreat on September 13, or was it Ramezay, whose haste in the matter sealed the fate of the capital?
Dave Noël and Sophie Imbeault will revisit the chronology of events for a better understanding of the capitulation, which was to have far-reaching effects on the course of the war in America.
Biographies
Sophie Imbeault is an historian and editor with Boréal. She has published numerous books and articles on the War of the Conquest, including Les Tarieu de Lanaudière, une famille noble après la Conquête, 1760-1791
(2004).
Davd Noël is a journalist with Le Devoir and a member of the press gallery of the Québec National Assembly. He has a Master’s in History from Université de Montréal and is the author of Montcalm, general américain (2018) and Lieux de pouvoir au Québec (Boréal, 2019).
Monday, May 4 at 1:30 p.m. - POSTPONED
More information to come.
Baking Workshop will be back in march 2024 !
Take advantage of spring break to share a historical culinary experience with your children with our bread-baking workshop!
Churn your butter, then add your starter and flour – your bread is starting to take shape! Next throw in some sugar that you have ground yourself and some dried fruit. This is a tasty snack to enjoy with your family!
No reservations are required, just show up at the Museum!
This activity is offered all year long
The Château Ramezay invites children off all ages to discover its exhibition through a new lens! While browsing through the rooms, they will make discoveries and, like our curator, choose their favourite pieces to create their own exhibition on the history of Montreal. Making choices isn't easy, but it's a great way to learn while having fun!
Download and print your activity booklet before coming, or pick up a copy at the Museum's welcome desk upon arrival.
Recommendation: print back-to-back.
Download
During your visit in the vaults, take a break in the family zone where there are many costumes for all ages to put on. Imagine yourself in the 18th-century Château and take a picture in front of New France landscape backdrops!
Prices: These activities are included in the price of your admission ticket to the Museum!
Please note: Children must be accompanied by an adult. These activities are suitable for all ages.
Will be back in fall 2023!
The Château invites you to discover the fascinating world of squash.
Meet Reddy, the friendly red pumpkin! In a tour specially designed for families, Reddy and his friends will help you understand the characteristics and multiple uses of their many relatives. Download and print your game booklet before you visit the museum. Complete the activities to claim a small prize at the reception desk!
It’s outdoors and it’s free!
Download and print the 4 to 7 years old game booklet
Download and print the challenge for 8-12 year-olds
Will be back in December 2023!
Around the Fireplace...Holiday Traditions
Usually starting the first weekend of December and until the end of the holiday school break, the Château Ramezay offers visitors a variety of fun during the festive season! Get the family together and re-acquaint yourselves with old-fashioned holiday traditions thanks to our entertaining exhibits and activities! Stock up on memories and stories you can share with family and friends!
Only the Château Ramezay offers this activity! Children who hang a stocking by the fireplace can come back in the New Year to see what Santa has left them - but they’d better be good!
Children are offered a free activity booklet to help orient them at the Museum. The hunt for curiosities from the past, the quest for information tidbits, and discussion prompts will keep them busy throughout their visit.
"What was Christmas like when you were little, Mum?"
Old Montréal is steeped in history.
Accompanied by our Voyageur, explore a past that is still visibly present today!
Choose any time of day or night to retrace the well-trodden paths of centuries ago. Each stop highlights historical figures and features interesting anecdotes.
You can download your self-guided tour especially created for the Festival d’Histoire de Montréal. (Available in French only).
Bon voyage!
Download here!
Do you have an eye for nature?
Discover beautiful 18th century green corners and reflect on the environmental challenges of today!
Nature Hunt Booklet
education@chateauramezay.qc.ca
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