Quartier Latin
Student spirit for over a century
On Saint-Denis, between the Grande Bibliothèque and the tiered terraces, the Latin Quarter keeps its bustle of hurried students, booksellers and film buffs. The Victorian facades house bars, venues and cafés where the world has been set to rights for generations. A little worn in places, never extinguished: the neighbourhood moves to the rhythm of UQAM’s semesters and the lines outside the theatres.
Good to know
- 1Spot the Saint-Jacques Church bell tower fused into UQAM’s buildings — Montreal’s best example of recycled heritage — then take refuge in the Grande Bibliothèque in bad weather: its national collection is free to browse.
How the neighbourhood came to be
The name comes from Paris, and the vocation from Université Laval à Montréal, established here at the end of the 19th century before becoming the Université de Montréal and moving to the mountain. The creation of UQAM in 1969 brought students back in force and sealed the area’s identity. The Saint-Sulpice Library, the Théâtre Saint-Denis, the cinemas: knowledge and show business have shared the street for more than a century.
Did you know?
- 1The Théâtre Saint-Denis, opened in 1916, is among Montreal’s oldest and largest performance halls.
- 2The Grande Bibliothèque, inaugurated in 2005, ranks among the most visited public libraries in the French-speaking world.
- 3UQAM, founded in 1969, incorporated the bell tower and remnants of Saint-Jacques Church into its buildings, still visible on Saint-Denis.
