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Saint Denis Street (officially in ) is a major north–south thoroughfare in
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
, Quebec. It extends from the
Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel The Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel (''chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours'', "Our Lady of Good Help") is a church in the district of Old Montreal in Montreal, Quebec. One of the oldest churches in Montreal, it was built in 1771 over the ruins of ...
on Saint Paul Street in
Old Montreal Old Montreal (, ) is a historic List of neighbourhoods in Montreal, neighbourhood within the List of municipalities in Quebec, municipality of Montreal in the province of Quebec, Canada. Home to the Old Port of Montreal, the neighbourhood is b ...
to the bank of the
Rivière des Prairies The Rivière des Prairies (; ), called the Back River in English, is a delta channel of the Ottawa River in southwestern Quebec, Canada. The Kanien'kehá:ka called it ''Skowanoti'', meaning "River behind the island". The river separates the citi ...
at the north end of the island. It is designated Route 335 from
Sherbrooke Street Sherbrooke Street (officially in ) is a major east–west artery and at in length, is the second longest street on the Island of Montreal, Canada. The street begins in the town of Montreal West, Quebec, Montreal West and ends on the extreme ...
to the
Metropolitan Expressway The is a network of tolled expressways in the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is operated and maintained by the . Most routes are grade separated and have many sharp curves and multi-lane merges that require caution to drive safely. The spee ...
, and is known as Bonsecours Street south of
Saint Antoine Street Saint Antoine Street (officially in ), formerly known as Craig Street, is a street located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It runs to the south of Downtown Montreal and north of Old Montreal and Griffintown and Saint-Henri. It crosses the Quartier ...
. Along its length, it passes through the
boroughs A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...
of Ville-Marie,
Le Plateau-Mont-Royal Le Plateau-Mont-Royal () is a borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The borough takes its name from its location on a plateau, on the eastern side of Mount Royal and overlooking downtown Montreal, across its south ...
,
Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie () is a borough (''arrondissement'') in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located centre-east of the island. Geography The borough is bordered to the northwest by Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension, ...
,
Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension () is a borough (''arrondissement'') in the city of Montreal, Quebec. It had a population of 143,853 according to the 2016 Census and a land area of . The borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extensi ...
, and
Ahuntsic-Cartierville Ahuntsic-Cartierville ( (local accent)) is a borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The borough was created following the 2002 municipal reorganization of Montreal. It comprises two main neighbourhoods, Ahuntsic, ...
. Saint-Denis serves as one of the primary thoroughfares of both the
Latin Quarter The Latin Quarter of Paris (, ) is an urban university campus in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, around the Sorbonne. Known for its student life, lively atmosphere, and bistros, t ...
, where it plays host to a number of bars and restaurants, to the
Plateau Mont-Royal Le Plateau-Mont-Royal () is a borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The borough takes its name from its location on a plateau, on the eastern side of Mount Royal and overlooking downtown Montreal, across its south ...
, where it is known as one of the best places to view Montreal's distinct style of architecture. It becomes primarily a residential street north of the Metropolitan Expressway. Sauvé train station is located on the street but not the metro station itself. The eastern portion of the
Montreal Metro The Montreal Metro (, ) is a rubber-tired underground rapid transit system serving Greater Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The metro, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), was inaugurated on October 14, 1966, during the tenure ...
's Orange Line runs parallel to the street, two blocks to the east except for Berri–UQAM station which has an entrance on the street. Rosemont station is located on Saint Denis street but doesn’t have an entrance to the street. It is named for
Saint Denis of Paris Denis of Paris (Latin: Dionysius) was a 3rd-century Christian martyr and saint. According to his hagiographies, he was bishop of Paris (then Lutetia) in the third century and, together with his companions Rusticus and Eleutherius, was martyred fo ...
.


Route description

South of the Ville-Marie Expressway, the street crosses
Old Montreal Old Montreal (, ) is a historic List of neighbourhoods in Montreal, neighbourhood within the List of municipalities in Quebec, municipality of Montreal in the province of Quebec, Canada. Home to the Old Port of Montreal, the neighbourhood is b ...
and is named rue Bonsecours. North of the Ville-Marie Expressway, it becomes Saint Denis Street and crosses the
Quartier Latin The Latin Quarter of Paris (, ) is an urban university campus in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, around the Sorbonne. Known for its student life, lively atmosphere, and bistros, th ...
. In the Quartier Latin, its vocation is primarily touristic and leisure-related, with restaurants and theatres located along this stretch. Near
Saint Catherine Street Sainte-Catherine Street ( ) () is the primary commercial artery of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It crosses the central business district from west to east, beginning at the corner of Claremont Avenue and de Maisonneuve Boulevard in Wes ...
, it crosses the downtown
Université du Québec à Montréal The (UQAM; ), is a French language, French-language public university, public research university based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest constituent element of the system. UQAM was founded on April 9, 1969, by the government o ...
(UQAM) campus while a little further north, it borders the
Cégep du Vieux Montréal Cégep du Vieux Montréal () is a CEGEP (Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel, or College of General and Vocational Education) located at 255 Ontario Street East, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The College of General and Vocational ...
. North of Sherbrooke Street, Saint Denis Street enters the borough of
Le Plateau Mont-Royal Le Plateau-Mont-Royal () is a Montreal borough, borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The borough takes its name from its location on a plateau, on the eastern side of Mount Royal and overlooking downtown Montreal ...
. In the Plateau-Mont-Royal and Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie to the north, it is a commercial street lined with small stores. Parallel streets are mostly residential. To the west,
Saint Laurent Boulevard Saint Laurent Boulevard, also known as Saint Lawrence Boulevard (officially in ), is a major street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A commercial artery and cultural heritage site, the street runs north west–south east through the near-centre of ...
also serves a commercial purpose. In the boroughs of Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension and
Ahuntsic-Cartierville Ahuntsic-Cartierville ( (local accent)) is a borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The borough was created following the 2002 municipal reorganization of Montreal. It comprises two main neighbourhoods, Ahuntsic, ...
, Saint Denis Street is mainly residential. However, several businesses including green grocers and Vietnamese restaurants are located on the street. It is also one of the gateways to the
Metropolitan Expressway The is a network of tolled expressways in the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is operated and maintained by the . Most routes are grade separated and have many sharp curves and multi-lane merges that require caution to drive safely. The spee ...
. North of
Crémazie Boulevard Autoroute 40, officially known as Autoroute Félix-Leclerc outside Montreal and Metropolitan Autoroute/Autoroute Métropolitaine within Montreal, is an Autoroutes of Quebec, Autoroute on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River in the Provinces ...
, it is a one-way northbound street with little traffic since the northbound Highway 335 continues along the Lajeunesse Street and
Berri Street Berri Street (officially in ) is a major north–south street located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Berri Street links De la Commune Street in the south and Somerville Street in the north. The street is interrupted between Rosemont Boulevard and J ...
.


History

Saint Denis Street opened in the early nineteenth century on land acquired by
Louis-Joseph Papineau Louis-Joseph Papineau (; October 7, 1786 – September 23, 1871), born in Montreal, Province of Quebec (1763–1791), Quebec, was a politician, lawyer, and the landlord of the ''seigneurie de la Petite-Nation''. He was the leader of the reform ...
(1786−1871) and his aunt Perine Charles Cherrier, widow of
Denis Viger Denis Viger (June 6, 1741 – June 16, 1805) was a carpenter, businessman, and politician in Lower Canada. He was born in Montreal in 1741, the son of a shoemaker. He worked as a carpenter and also carved wooden objects for the church in Sai ...
(1741−1805). Extended several times, Saint Denis Street developed gradually after the construction of Saint Jacques Cathedral in 1836, facing Place Pasteur. Subsequently, it reached
Sherbrooke Street Sherbrooke Street (officially in ) is a major east–west artery and at in length, is the second longest street on the Island of Montreal, Canada. The street begins in the town of Montreal West, Quebec, Montreal West and ends on the extreme ...
near the end of the 19th century. During the mid-nineteenth century, this tree-lined residential street was inhabited by several representatives of the
French Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...
elite. Before the end of the century, it began to transform into a commercial street, ascending slowly northward. In the early 20th century, the section of the Saint Denis Street between Dorchester Street (now
René Lévesque Boulevard René Lévesque Boulevard (), previously named Dorchester Boulevard, is one of the main streets in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is a main east–west thoroughfare passing through the downtown core in the borough of Ville-Marie (Montreal), Ville ...
) and Sherbrooke Street became the centre of a francophone intellectual elite. Located in the area were the Université Laval à Montréal (current site of Le pavillon Hubert-Aquin de l’UQÀM), the
École Polytechnique de Montréal École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...
, the
Saint-Sulpice Library The Saint-Sulpice Library is an historic building located at 1700 Saint Denis Street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was designated a Historic Monument of Quebec in 1988. At the dawn of the 20th century, the political elite and religious leaders ...
and many bookstores. It was deserted by academics following the relocation of Université of Montreal and École Polytechnique on the northern slope of
Mount Royal Mount Royal (, ) is a mountain in the city of Montreal, immediately west of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The city's name is derived from the mountain's name. The mountain is part of the Monteregian Hills situated between the Laurentian M ...
. From the late 1970s, the academic character of the neighbourhood returned with the construction of pavilions for the
Université du Québec à Montréal The (UQAM; ), is a French language, French-language public university, public research university based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest constituent element of the system. UQAM was founded on April 9, 1969, by the government o ...
, around the steeple of the old Saint Jacques Cathedral.


See also

*
Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine Sir Louis-Hippolyte Ménard '' dit'' La Fontaine, 1st Baronet, KCMG (October 4, 1807 – February 26, 1864) was a Canadian politician who served as the first Premier of the United Province of Canada and the first head of a responsible governme ...
who lived on Saint Denis Street


References

*Christiane Abboud (dir.), Les rues de Montréal, Répertoire historique, Montréal, Éditions du Méridien, 1995, 23 cm, 547 p. (), p. 423.


External links


Official site of Saint-Denis Street
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