Montreal congregation of nuns to sell historic Villa Maria estate

Nuns who have overseen the vast estate beside Villa Maria Metro station, in the west end of Montreal, for over a century will be selling the property, leaving the fate of Villa Maria College, a co-ed high school, uncertain.

The Sisters of the Congregation of Notre-Dame (CND) said in a news release Wednesday that in seven years they will leave the 21-hectare estate, which includes the private high school, the private English CEGEP Marianopolis College, a residence for independent sisters, an infirmary for nuns and an administrative centre.

The story was first reported by Le Devoir Wednesday.

Its aging and dwindling membership have made managing the estate "too cumbersome" for the resources available, the order's statement reads.

The search for a buyer will begin in the coming months. But the sale will only be effective in seven years, after the sisters have moved to a place more appropriate to their age and their health conditions, as well as the termination of the lease with Villa Maria.

Since 2007, Marianopolis College has occupied a building built by the congregation in 1926. But the non-profit managing the CEGEP will acquire the building and land in the coming months to ensure it will remain open.

Management of the infirmary will be entrusted to a specialist firm on Oct. 1, but the congregation will retain ownership of it. In a few years' time, given the decline in the number of nuns, the infirmary will be closed, and nuns in need of care will be transferred to a residence outside the estate, managed by a third party.

The average age of the nuns is 82, according to Sister Ona Bessette, congregation leader of the CND.  

She said they have been asking the high school to work toward becoming autonomous enough to function without the congregation's support. 

"We want to be able to enter into conversations with potential buyers about what our values are," she said. "Our greatest hope is to see the availability of education on that site."

Benoit Dorais, the vice-president of Montreal's executive committee, said in a statement Wednesday that the city would closely monitor the next stages of the sale. 

"The Villa Maria estate is a site of great heritage value that has marked the history of Montreal," the statement reads. "We are determined to ensure that the Villa Maria estate continues to contribute to the well-being and quality of life of [Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce] CDN-NDG residents and all Montrealers." 

High school's board of directors blindsided

Murillo Rego, a spokesperson for Villa Maria, which the CND founded in 1854, said in a statement the congregation told the high school's board of directors late Tuesday afternoon about its intention to sell the land.

"It was with astonishment that the directors and management team learned of this sad decision by the CND regarding this great institution it founded over 165 years ago," the statement reads.

Villa Maria's lease runs until July 31, 2030, but Rego says the news of the sale has forced the administration to reassess how it can ensure the school's viability as an academic institution and historic site.

The school maintains that in the short term, "there are no issues" for current students and those admitted in fall 2024.

Once a girls' school, Villa Maria has been a co-educational high school since 2016.