Montréal, December 3, 2013 –Throughout December, the Château Ramezay will be offering visitors a chance to enjoy a host of festive-themed, family activities. Invite all your relatives – and don’t forget Granny! Discover a variety of entertaining exhibits and traditional activities designed to bring cheer to the whole family! Stock up on anecdotes and warm memories to share during the holiday season!
From December 7, 2013 to January 5, 2014, five fireplaces at the Château Ramezay will be sumptuously decorated according to a particular theme. Each mantelpiece will explain the origin of a specific Christmas tradition: Christmas cards, Christmas stockings, advent calendars and more – it’ll be well worth gathering around the fireside!
Only the Château Ramezay offers this activity! Children can hang a Christmas stocking by the fireplace and come back after New Year to find what Santa has left them! (But they better be good!)
Looking for an original gift for family and friends? How about a photo taken in the historic surroundings of the Château Ramezay? Bring your own camera or make the most of ours! Deck yourself in period accessories and share some laughs while you have your picture taken. Fun for the whole family!
Young and old are invited to tie on an apron and try their hand at making, baking and eating sourdough bread.
A fur trader will welcome you at the entrance to the Château. With his furs and his stories, he’ll take you back to the early days of New France. Try out a pair of old-fashioned snowshoes (if there is snow!), then warm up with a cup of hot chocolate. Free outdoor activity.
There's nothing like music to put you in the holiday spirit! This December, two choirs and an orchestra have been invited to perform in the Château's splendid Salle de Nantes. Performances will take place at 1:30 and 3 pm on each of the following Sundays:
Cost: included in entrance fee.
Don’t forget to stop in at our gift shop while you’re here! Get Aunt Lucy a book on recipes from New France, or your Sweetie, some traditional candy! Better yet, give friends and family a chance to spend some memorable moments at the Museum with a pair of tickets or even a membership, to the Château Ramezay!
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Montreal, November 26, 2013 – Starting November 26, the Chateau Ramezay’s exhibition – Crime and Punishment – Justice in New France – will give visitors the opportunity to play judge and enforce laws used in the colony in the 17th and 18th centuries. Meet some notorious figures from Quebec’s legal past and learn how they met their fate.
This interactive exhibition will familiarize you with the French justice system of the time. In New France, criminal law complied with the ‘Customs of Paris’ instituted by Louis XIV in 1667. The accused were presumed guilty unless they could prove their innocence, quite the reverse of our system today.
As an ‘apprentice judge’, you’ll hear several criminal cases that shocked the colony – that of Marie-Josephe-Angelique, for example, a Montreal slave accused of setting fire to 46 houses and the Hotel-Dieu Hospital in 1734. Consider whether the punishments fit the crimes. Compare the sentences of colonial criminals with those imposed nowadays under the Canadian Criminal Code.
On display will be various punishment devices such as a hanging cage, an iron collar, a branding iron and other torture instruments commonly used by the executioner.
A great success when it was first launched in 2006, this exhibition returns to the Chateau, guaranteed to please anyone interested in the early days of New France. It paves the way for a new permanent exhibition, opening in June 2014, on family life in the de Ramezay circle.
June 25, 2013 – The summer is here! Château Ramezay – Historic Site and Museum of Montréal has a few surprises in store for you and a full program of historic activities that are sure to please. Here are the details of our new activities and classics.
Take an evening off before your summer vacation. From June 25 to August 27, exceptionally, Château Ramezay will open its doors every Tuesday until 8 p.m. Are you a Montrealer? From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., with proof of identity and address, take advantage of the “My Château, this Summer: 2 for 1 on Tuesday evenings” promotion. Invite a friend to come discover the history of Montréal; take a colleague on a little escapade through our colourful temporary exhibition; or embrace the love of your life at the fountain in Governor’s Garden. Then cap off the evening at one of Old Montréal’s renowned restaurants or quaint terraces.
Would you like to share the photo you just took in the garden with one of our guides in costume? You can! In partnership with Île sans fil, Château Ramezay now offers free access to the Internet anywhere on our site. Just click on “Like.”!
Château Ramezay is currently featuring the exhibition Heart and Soul: Quebec Folk Art. Produced by the Canadian Museum of Civilization, this entertaining exhibition, perfect for the whole family, presents diverse works, both traditional and non-conformist. Explore this form of art through touch, colouring and drawing.
Château Ramezay and Reford Gardens present the installation Jardins M created by Atelier Pierre Thibault as part of the 5th anniversary of the event Métis-sur-Montréal. Five architectural forms make up five exquisite gardens that house nature in the heart of the city.
From June 29 to October 14, Place De la Dauversière will also feature the backlit exhibition Pleasure Grounds in New France. Day or night, meander along the paths on the maps of French gardens from a bygone era. Admire the floral photographs by Louise Tanguay of species still present in today’s gardens.
Every Saturday and Sunday afternoon in July and August, New France is featured through a series of free outdoor activities. On Saturdays, on the Château’s grounds, listen to and discover a wide range of musical instruments played here in the 18th century. On Sundays, artisanal workshops get you to roll up your sleeves! Learn how to make candles and soap, dye fibres, spin wool and make felt. Ever tried papermarbling? This is your chance! And you get to take home your creation. For the detailed program, visit our website at http://www.chateauramezay.qc.ca/en/activities-and-animation/summer-autumn/
Everyday in the summertime, our guides in traditional costumes await you with furs, trade objects and medicinal plants that allow you to discover different aspects of New France. They’ll be waiting for you in the Governor’s Garden.
Visit the permanent exhibition Hochelaga, Ville-Marie, Montréal to connect with the history of Montréal, Québec and Canada, from Aboriginal prehistory to the 20th century. Listen to the colourful characters on our multimedia circuit recount the history of Château Ramezay in six languages. Everyday from July 1st to the end of September, our guides will await you for a guided tour that will refresh your knowledge of our history. Tours are in French at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.; and in English at 12 noon and 2 p.m.
The exhibition Life in Montréal in the 18th Century, presented in the vaults of the Château, will soon be completely transformed. Visit it one last time this summer before it reopens again in summer 2014.
July 3 2013– The Château Ramezay – Museum and historic site of Montréal and the Redford Gardens present Jardins M, the 5th incarnation of Métis-sur-Montréal. In the heart of Old Montreal, this installation by the Atelier Pierre Thibault blends nature with the city, and fuses the boundaries between interior and exterior, providing an intriguing respite in the shadow of the Château Ramezay.
The five architectural forms of the Jardins M (Métis, Mobile, Montréal), situated in the open space of Place de la Dauversière, evoke the city. Each is a unique shelter for a unique garden; five spaces that invite contemplation, relaxation, and discovery. Leave the city behind to walk on a pebble beach in the stone house. Glide between the tree trunks of the forest house. Come and go all summer long, contemplating evolution and growth in the field house. Sit for a moment in the rest house. Delight in magnificent flowers, fragile and resplendent, in the shelter house.
Inspired by the interaction between humans and nature, Pierre Thibault’s studio has created many projects, including several maisons-nature such as the Abbaye Val Notre-Dame in Saint-Jean-de-Matha, and received numerous awards in Quebec and elsewhere.
Jardins M is presented without charge from July 3 to October 14 in Place de la Dauversière, situated between the Château Ramezay and Place Jacques-Cartier, across from Montréal City Hall. While there, profit from the opportunity to visit the nearby exhibition Pleasure Grounds in New France.
Montréal, May 21, 2013 — What do a wooden weather vane, an eggshell painting and a grader made of bottle caps have in common? Starting May 21, you can find out in a lively exhibition on Quebec folk art at the Château Ramezay – Historic Site and Museum of Montréal. Produced by the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Heart and Soul: Quebec Folk Art takes you on a journey through more than sixty remarkable pieces. After six stops in other Canadian cities, the exhibition concludes right here in the area of Montréal, where a majority of the artifacts were collected.
Heart and Soul brings together a variety of impressive works — sculptures, paintings, ceramics and more — that demonstrate the talent of folk artists, past and present. There are antique and contemporary pieces, traditional and non-conformist works.
“We are very pleased that this important collection of Quebec folk art is being presented at the Château Ramezay,” said Mark O'Neill, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation. “The Museum of Civilization’s collection of folk art is one of the best of its kind anywhere in the world. We are proud to share some of these exceptional works through this travelling exhibition.”
Heart and Soul shows how folk art reflects society. “Contrary to what is often said, folk art is far from naïve,” notes Jean-François Blanchette, exhibition curator and specialist in material culture. “Besides being gifted, folk artists are reflective people who are very aware of their environment. Their works manage to capture the essence of a culture.”
The works of some of Quebec’s most interesting contemporary folk artists are featured in one section of the exhibition, demonstrating that folk art is still alive and well. Visitors can get to know these artists through recorded interviews, and discover what motivates their creativity.
The exhibition shows the many facets of this highly diversified art. Visitors will be impressed with the variety and quality of the works on display: remarkably refined animal sculptures, a gallery of characters carved with a humorous touch, paintings and drawings, everyday objects, and religious works, such as nativity scenes.
Most of the works in the exhibition belong to the Nettie Covey Sharpe Collection and are a part of the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Mrs. Sharpe is one of the greatest collectors of folk art in Canada. Born in the Mégantic area, Mrs. Sharpe moved to Montréal in 1934, where she started her collection. In 1951, she bought an 18th century house in Saint-Lambert that is now recognized as a historic building. The majority of her acquisitions were gathered while she was living in the Montréal area. She bequeathed her magnificent 3,000-piece collection to the museum, and her gift led to the creation of what is now undoubtedly the finest collection of its kind in the country. A display in the exhibition pays tribute to her appreciation and preservation efforts of Quebec folk art.
In connection with this exhibition, the Château Ramezay welcomes the opportunity to present a selection of carvings from its collections on the theme of the strongmen of Quebec. These superb examples of Quebec folk art illustrate some of the exploits of Louis Cyr, Jos Montferrand and Julien Deschamps which are the stuff of legends now ingrained in the cultural memory and heritage of Quebec.
Montreal, April 17, 2013 – Today, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Antiquarian and Numismatic Society of Montréal (ANSM), the Château Ramezay – Historic Site and Museum of Montréal, in a special collaboration with Heritage Montreal Foundation, is honouring 10 Montrealers who have contributed to protecting, conserving, developing and promoting Montréal’s heritage.
The Museum chose the eve of the International Day for Monuments and Sites to pay tribute to Monique Barriault, Jean Bélisle, Georges Coulombe, Maurice Desnoyers, Sylvie Dufresne, Julia Gersovitz, Phyllis Lambert, Blanche Lemco van Ginkel, Bruce McNiven and Father Claude Turmel, all key players in the world of heritage.
Each award was given to a person who has worked in the community and contributed to the protection, conservation, study, enhancement and dissemination of Montréal’s heritage. Each of the recipients has demonstrated an outstanding and long-standing commitment to the cause.
In collaboration with Heritage Montreal the Museum formed a Selection Committee to identify the recipients of the 10 awards attributed. The seven members of the committee were Arlette Blanchet, Dinu Bumbaru, André Delisle, Clément Demers, David Hanna, Marie Lessard and Marie Senécal-Tremblay.
Did you know that a non-profit organization, the Antiquarian and Numismatic Society of Montréal (ANSM), founded the Château Ramezay and continues to administrate it today? Aware of the building’s heritage value and under the threat of losing it to axes of demolition workers, the Society mobilized public opinion and put pressure on authorities. The ANSM managed to save the Château and develop it into a history museum, a national portrait gallery and a public library in 1895.
Established in 1862 by a group of influential English and French-speaking Montrealers, the Society is one of the oldest Canadian institutions. Born of the desire to conserve and enhance the traces of our history, the ANSM has carried out many concrete actions in order to honour its mission. Some of the most important contributions include the exhibition on Montréal’s history, organized in 1892 to mark the 250th anniversary of the foundation of the city, and the installation of the first plaques to identify historic buildings and significant places in Montréal.
Today, the ANSM continues to ensure the conservation, interpretation and dissemination of our heritage through numerous exhibitions and educational programs offered at the Château Ramezay. On the occasion of the Society’s 150th anniversary, the Château Ramezay wishes to highlight the involvement of volunteers who have participated in the development and preservation of Montréal's heritage over the past 150 years.
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Louise Brazeau, Head - Education and Promotion
communications@chateauramezay.qc.ca
Phone: 514-861-3708 ext. 229