Montreal, Canada, Oct 11, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Seeking the peace and quiet needed for their monastic life, the Discalced Carmelites sold their first foundation house in Canada. The 1875 convent, located in Montreal’s trendy and densely populated Plateau Mont-Royal district, no longer suited their monastic ritual, said Carmelite spokesperson Francois Morin.
“There are factories nearby that rent their space to rock bands for practice,” Morin explained. “They wish to relocate in a more rural setting.”
The public-relations specialist declined to give the purchase price, but the municipality evaluated the 176,104-square-foot site at $2.2 million.
The nuns sold their property to a housing company, Groupe Prevel, and have planned to relocate to Lanoraie, about one hour away from Montreal, in the Diocese of Joliette. Morin said the nuns accepted Prevel’s offer because of the company’s reputation for preserving the historic patrimony and architecture of the sites it buys.