History & Heritage
History & Heritage
A City Project Commemorating Montréal's 375th Anniversary
Located on the Mount Royal Heritage Site, the Cemetery has the privilege of hosting a portion of the Escales découvertes, an initiative of the City of Montréal in celebration of its 375th anniversary.
The project aims to help visitors discover the richness of the Heritage Site's landscape. Composed mainly of 3D maps, stops and clues, the Escales découvertes offer a playful and intuitive way to experience the site. They provide an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the mountain, particularly in terms of its importance in the urban landscape of Montréal.
November 3, 2021
On the Cemetery site, there is a 3D map (near the Decelles entrance), 7 clues and 5 stops, all made of granite and bronze, noble and perennial materials that blend harmoniously into the natural landscape.
The 3D map, placed on a cylindrical base, informs and orients by means of a model reproducing the relief of the place, thus facilitating the understanding of the space.
The clues are presented in the form of truncated and inclined cones, some of which are crossed by a "vein" that directs the eye towards an element of the landscape. They allow you to sit or to climb them to gain a new point of view on the surroundings. The clues are accompanied by short literary messages referring to the surrounding landscape.
The stops invite you to contemplate the interior views of the mountain. They are adorned with short poems composed especially for each location. On the Cemetery site, you can find the words of Pierre Nepveu, Erin Moure, Paul Bélanger, Daniel Canty and Chantal Neveu.
You can discover the stops and clues that line the territory of Notre-Dame-des-Neiges by consulting the interactive map.
"The five stops in the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery are located near the dedicated interior views. [They] offer experiences of the different landscape units of the cemetery: plain, plateau rise, the plateau and the plateau prominence.
Each stop is defined as a consecrated place within which a renewed experience of the Heritage Site is proposed, and particularly the visual horizon offered from the stop on the interior landscapes of the cemetery. Simple geometric forms are used to refer to the emblematic nature of geometry in religious architecture (circle, ellipse). A granite border on the ground defines the enclosure and marks the threshold. The border splits to reveal a granite bench."
— Extract from the project brief, October 2018
National Award Wins
The Discovery Stopovers have won several national architecture and design awards:
2019
National Merit, Canadian Society of Landscape Architects Award of Excellence
2018
Urban Fragments category winner, National Urban Design Awards, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.
2018
Award of Excellence, Placemaking & Identity category, Society for Experiential Graphic Design.
Design: URBAN-SOLAND / JULIE MARGOT / VLAN / LUU NGUYEN / LAFONTAINE SOUCY
An initiative of the City of Montréal, this project was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Government of Québec.
General
La Fabrique de la paroisse Notre-Dame is proud to announce that it is on the right track to achieving its goal of contacting all families affected by the delays which occurred in 2023 and 2024 before the end of the year.
General
La Fabrique, l’organisme sans but lucratif chargée de gérer le site historique du Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges, souhaite à nouveau souligner que les services considérés essentiels, notamment les inhumations, sont offerts malgré le conflit de travail du personnel administratif.
General
Following the end of the labour dispute which led to the closure of the Cemetery, La Fabrique announces that the near-entirety of the Cemetery will once again be made accessible to the general public, as well as the site’s three entrances, starting on September 11, 2023.
General
Many families have suffered for several months because they’ve been unable to complete their mourning or access the Cemetery to visit a loved one. We’re well aware of this and sincerely apologize for this situation.
General
Representatives of the Fabrique met today with the Minister of Labour, Jean Boulet, to review the current labour dispute and the status of discussions underway between the parties, in collaboration with the chief mediator-conciliator, since June 29th.
General
Un protocole de retour au travail, contenant les dispositions usuelles, a aussi été soumis aux syndicats le 15 juin 2023.
General
The Fabrique's negotiating team met with representatives of the unions representing its operations and office employees on June 2, in the presence of the head conciliator. The Fabrique presented them with a global settlement offer, which the two cemetery unions rejected.
Ecology & Biodiversity
Montreal's Botanical Garden, part of Canada's largest natural science museum complex, Space for Life, has officially recognized the Cemetery as a biodiverse haven.
General
Despite our work to repair the damages and clean the site, trees and branches still block many of the cemetery's 33 kilometres of roads.
General
Following yesterday's major ice storm, on April 5th, the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery is devastated, as are many other areas of Montréal.
General
The Fabrique announces that Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery will soon be open to the families of the deceased.
General
Since the beginning of negotiations with the union, the Cemetery has sought to reach a reasonable agreement to continue to treat its employees well.
General
The Fabrique has learned of the decision of the union representing its operations employees to call an unlimited general strike while negotiations are still underway.
Ecology & Biodiversity
Our green actions have contributed to a significant increase in the number and variety of insects and butterflies, including the return of the Monarch butterfly, Montreal's emblematic pollinator.
General
While negotiations for the renewal of the collective agreement continue, the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery Office Employees Union has announced that its members will be on strike as of September 20th.
Green Plan | Environment
Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery is attracting an increased number of families this year. Since January 2022, more than 2,410 families have chosen the cemetery as the burial place for their loved ones, an increase of 11% compared to 2021. In addition, the number of families who have acquired a lot at the Cemetery has increased by 23%, and the total area of lots acquired is up by 48%.
Green Plan | Environment
For the second year of implementation of the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery's green plan, the Artists' Union and Foundation announce their support for and association with the cemetery’s objectives of reducing its impact on the environment and maximizing its contribution to the development of biodiversity on Mount Royal.
General
Read our regulations concerning the placement of natural flowers during the holiday season in our mausoleums.
Green Plan | Environment
We try our best to keep our clientele informed about the Green plan as well as present the ongoing challenges the cemetery faces.
History & Heritage
Located on the Mount Royal Heritage Site, the Cemetery has the privilege of hosting a portion of the Escales découvertes, an initiative of the City of Montréal in celebration of its 375th anniversary.
Green Plan | Environment
We are proud to announce that we are proud partners with the nonprofit Leave No Trace Canada, an organization dedicated to promoting and inspiring responsible use of natural areas.
History & Heritage
Every year on the first Sunday of June, the Last Post Fund visits Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery in order to pay tribute to the deceased who died honourably for our freedom.
Ecology & Biodiversity
The cemetery, like the rest of Mount Royal, is home to many animal species, such as groundhogs (Marmota monax), also known as woodchucks.
Green Plan | Environment
Today, we pay tribute to Mrs. Ana S.L., who was interred yesterday afternoon under the first tree of Remembrance Grove. She thus inaugurates a new chapter at Notre Dame des Neiges, a chapter in her image: in harmony with nature.