Montreal's creepiest convent

According to an article that was widely published across America in 1898, Montreal was home to a convent full of teenage nuns who slept in coffins.

   The article, entitled "Strange Convent in Montreal," reported that the Convent of the Holy Face started with five daughters who played with skulls and were subject to scourges and chains in their cells.
   They had a mother superior but a man - supposedly a doctor - ran the place.
  Hundreds would visit each month to say prayers, according to the report.
   The article stated that 14 nuns inhabited the place, most between 14 and 18 years of age.
   They'd dance around and play like normal girls.
   They would usually sport black but on feast days dress with a crimson front with a saint face painted on the front with a crimson veil and wear it to sleep in their coffins.
  They had a beautiful garden out back but were not permitted to go out there.
   Dr. Jacques was in charge and the place was on Amherst near St. Catherine.
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   In a story from two years later, more on the coffin teen convent.


   I thought I had seen everything in Montreal all the conventions and monasteries, almshouses, orphan asylums, churches and cathedrals. I had attended high mass in Notre Dame and visited and been deeply impressed by the exquisite chapel behind its high alter and I had turned away provoked at the good Bishop of Montreal as he held forth to his congregation against admitting Sunday newspapers to their homes, “particularlement celles de New York.” “Is there anything more in this city I have not seen?” I asked a friend. “Well, I think you have seen everything except the Holy Face Convent,” he replied. “What is there interesting about it?” “Only the fact that the mother superioress is only twenty-three and the other nuns little girls not more than fourteen or fifteen.”

   When I reached the Holy Face Convent I found it a small, ordinary three-story Montreal dwelling. The door was opened by a child, dressed in nun’s garb. I asked if this was the “convent of the Holy Face?” “Mais oui, madame;’ entrez,” and the little child stepped aside to allow me to pass into the bare, square hall of the house. She ushered me into a white-washed room, devoid of carpets or furniture other than half a dozen chairs placed primarily against the wall, and an uncovered deal table. In the walls were three or four picture of religious subjects, most prominent among them one of the holy Face,” intended to represent the imprint of the Saviour’s features left on Veronica's napkin; a huge crucifix and a ghastly skull.
   In a few moment s a quiet, gray robed figure entered the room. In the world she would have been a pleasant faced Canadian maid of twenty-two or twenty-three, but as she stood there with clasped hands she was a religious enthusiast. Everything earthly seemed eliminated from her nature, and I could only compared her to the shell of a woman. I explained that I was a stronger in the city, that I had been told about her convent and was very anxious to see it, if she would kindly show me all she could of it. I added this because I had found from experience that there was always some part of the building held sacred from outsiders’ eyes. She murmured something about seeing the “Bon Pere” and obtaining his permission, and left the room.

   Presently le bon pere entered accompanied by the gray garbed nun. He was a short, thin-set Canadian with heavy features, large black eyes, clean shaven face, with very thick lips and very white teeth. His head was a trifle bald but what hair remained was rather long, thick, black and curly. He wore a long soutagne, with a button off here and there; no collar and cuff bands but no cuffs. I again explained my desire to go over this convent, of which I had been told he was the superior. And finally he agreed to my request. His name was Dr. Lapaix and in broken English he told me the history of the convent. The old French Canadian doctor had founded the convent in his house where at the same time he kept up the practice of medicine.

   The first members of his community were the five daughters of a couple whom he had known for years. The eldest of these girls when the institution was started was not more than eighteen years old. The girls are taught to lead a life of religious rigor, in which scourges, chains, coffins as beds and death head as ornaments of their cells play the most prominent part, while, though they have a mother superior in the eldest sister, the doctor is the final arbiter of all questions that I pertain to the management of the community. Dr. Lapaix gave me in the care of the young nun. I had first seen and who proved to be the mother superioress of this strange community, and granted me the privilege do visiting the whole building.

   The community has fourteen members, the oldest of whom is twenty-four, the rest ranging from fourteen to eighteen. They seemed happy enough, if ringing laughter and merry voices bespoke happiness. It really seemed more like an orphan asylum than  convent.

   Their ordinary dress was a gray habit, girded around the waist by a rough .. from which depended on one side what was called “the scourge,” but which was in reality an old fashioned cat-o-nine tails and at the other a large rosary.
   At then.. was a narrow white collar which ended in front of two square tabs. Each nun wore a hood of gray, coming down to the shoulders and turned back off the face. Under this was a tight fitting skull .. of white linen. On feast days and holy days the nuns don long crimson scapulas, which hand to the bottom of the skirt in front and upon which is painted the “holy face,” and over their hoods are thrown crimson veils. I was shown the chapel, which has been fashioned out of a fairly large sized room, with benches around the sides. A little altar has been erected at one en of the room, which was dressed in true Canadian fashion, in crimson and gold, which quantities of candies and a very beautiful life sized statue of the Virgin Mary.

   To the right of the chapel was the Doctor’s cell, the principal article of furniture in which was a large coffin. This, I learned, was the Doctor’s bed. Similar coffins according to the size of the different occupants, being the only beds provided for the inmates and the principal pieces of furniture in the fourteen narrow cells in which the third floor was divided. The doctor’s coffin had a small cushion at the top and a blanket, and the whole was covered with a black pall, ornamented with a large silver cross. I asked my guide if the nuns did not rather dread sleeping in coffins. She replied that at first it was a little gruesome but they soon became accustomed to it and no they minded it so little she questioned whether they could sleep in any other bed.

   Every Friday the nuns are scoured. My guide showed me two… in the wall of what was called “the community room,” into which the hands aer thrust after letting down the upper part of the habit and exposing the neck and shoulder. The nun toe scoured takes her place before the rings, in which her hand are placed, elevating them another head and one of the other nuns gave her a certain number of blows, while the rest of the sisters kneel in the room praying. “But who scourges the Doctor?” I asked. “Mais le Bon pere, non; il n’yen a pas besoin!” exclaimed the sister, in horror at the mere suggestion of that holy man standing in need of any chastisement. A large garden is attached to the house, surrounded by a high way.. This is filled with trees and in summer time with flowers. Benches were scattered around when I saw it, and a very artistic set of stations of the cross were appropriately placed among the trees. I spoke to several of the child nuns. They were very happy to talk and told me how happy they were and how good Le Bon Pere was. To all outward appearances they were perfectly satisfied with their lot.