History of the Museum

Established in 1868 on Dorchester Boulevard (now René-Lévesque), at the corner of Sainte- Monique Street, St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church was considered one of the most beautiful neo-Gothic churches in the City of Montreal. It served as the crowning achievement of its architect’s (Frederick Lawford) career.

However, in 1929, the church was expropriated by the Canadian National Railway to make way for a new railway station. It was saved from destruction thanks to the Pères de Sainte-Croix, who purchased it in 1930 for the symbolic price of $1.

It was thus dismantled stone by stone in about 60 days. The stones were numbered and then systematically transported to the grounds of Collège de Saint-Laurent, where it became the new chapel of the Frères de Sainte-Croix. It was rebuilt on a concrete frame by architect Lucien Parent, who slightly modified it for its new vocation as a Catholic chapel.

Among the additions were an organ loft, confessionals, the Stations of the Cross, and new stained-glass windows. It was also raised by one storey to accommodate the Émile-Legault performance hall, where the famous Compagnons de Saint-Laurent performed.

The chapel was rendered vacant following the secularization of the educational institutions in 1967, and was then transformed into a museum under the aegis of Prof. Gérard Lavallée in 1975. In 1979, the Musée d’art de Saint-Laurent opened its doors. Its permanent exhibition remained until 2002, when renovations were carried out to better meet the needs of the public. In 2003, the museum changed its name to Musée des maîtres et artisans du Québec and, in 2004, presented its new permanent exhibition, Mains de maîtres.

In 2021, after several months of renovation work, the museum reopened under a new name: the MUMAQ-Musée des métiers d’art du Québec. Today, its permanent exhibition, Meaningful Objects, presents Québec’s crafts from a new chronological perspective.