'Mount Royal' (
French: 'Mont Royal') () is a
mountain on the
Island of Montreal, immediately north of downtown
Montreal,
Quebec,
Canada, the city to which it gave its name.
The mountain is part of the
Monteregian mountain chain situated between the
Laurentians and the
Appalachians. It gave its
Latin name, ''Mons Regius'', to the Monteregian chain.
The mountain consists of three peaks: Colline de la Croix (or Mont Royal proper) at 233
metres (764
feet), Colline d'Outremont (or Mount Murray, in the borough of
Outremont ) at 211 metres (692 feet), and
Westmount mount at 201 metres (659 feet)
elevation above mean sea level. At this height, it might be otherwise considered a very tall hill, but it has always been called a mountain.
Geology
Some tourist guidebooks, such as the famous Michelin Guide to Montreal, state that Mount Royal is an
extinct volcano. The mountain is not a volcano per se, although it is the deep extension of a vastly eroded ancient
volcanic complex, which was probably active about 125 million years ago.
[1] The mountain was created when the
North American Plate moved westward over the
New England hotspot,
along with the other mountains of the
Monteregian mountain chain. The
magma intruded into the
sedimentary rocks underneath the area, producing at least eight igneous stocks. The main rock type is a
gabbro composed of
pyroxene,
olivine and variable amounts of
plagioclase. During and after the main stage of intrusion, the gabbros and surrounding rocks were intruded by a series of volcanic
dikes and
sills. Subsequently, the surrounding softer sedimentary rock was
eroded, leaving behind the resistant
igneous rock that forms the mountain.
History
 Cross on top of Mount Royal, at night | |
The first European to scale the mountain was
Jacques Cartier, guided there in
1535 by the people of the village of
Hochelega. He named it in honour his
patron,
King François I of France. He wrote in his
journal:
:''Et au parmy d'icelles champaignes, est scituée et assise ladicte ville de Hochelaga, près et joignant une montaigne... Nous nommasmes icelle montaigne le mont Royal.''
:("And among these fields is situated the said town of Hochelaga, near to and adjoining a mountain... We named this mountain, Mount Royal.")
The name of the city of Montreal derives from ''mont Réal'', an
orthographic variant introduced either in French, or by an
Italian map maker ("Mount Royal" is ''monte Reale'' in
Italian). The name had been unofficially applied to the city, formerly Ville-Marie, by the
18th century.
The first
cross on the mountain was placed there in
1643 by
Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, the founder of the city, in fulfillment of a vow he made to
the Virgin Mary when
praying to her to stop a disastrous
flood. Today, the mountain is crowned by a -high illuminated cross, installed in
1924 by the
Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste and now owned by the city. It was converted to
fibre-optic light in
1992. The new system can turn the lights red, blue, or purple, the last of which is used as a sign of mourning between the death of the Pope and the election of the next. (This operation was previously accomplished by changing all the light bulbs.)
In 1918, a
railway tunnel was built under the mountain. It is currently used by the
AMT's
Montreal/Deux-Montagnes.
The area was originally considered as the site for
Expo 67.
[2]
Mount Royal Park
The view of downtown Montreal from the Kondiaronk Belvedere and the Chalet du Mont Royal in winter
The mountain is the site of 'Mount Royal Park' (officially 'Parc du Mont-Royal'), one of Montreal's largest
greenspaces. The park, most of which is wooded, was designed by
Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed
New York's
Central Park, and
inaugurated in
1876.
The park contains two
belvederes, the more prominent of which is the Kondiaronk Belvedere, a semicircular plaza with a
chalet, overlooking
downtown Montreal. Other features of the park are Beaver Lake, a small man-made
lake; a short
ski slope; a
sculpture garden;
Smith House, an
interpretive centre; and a well-known monument to Sir
George-Étienne Cartier. The park hosts athletic, tourist, and cultural activities.
The lush
forest was badly damaged by the
Ice Storm of 1998, but has since largely recovered. The forest is a green jewel rising above downtown Montreal, and is known for its beautiful
autumn foliage as well as extensive hiking and cross-country ski trails. Biking is restricted to the main gravel roads.
Once, the
Mount Royal Railway, a
funicular railroad, brought sightseers to its peak.
[1] That attraction has long since vanished and a roadway named for longtime but controversial former mayor
Camillien Houde -- jailed during the
Second World War for his opposition to Canada's war effort -- now bisects the mountain.
The park, cemeteries, and several adjacent parks and institutions have been combined in the 'Arrondissement historique et naturel du Mont-Royal' (Mount Royal Natural and Historical District) by the government of Quebec, in order to legally protect the rich cultural and natural heritage of this region. It is the only place in Quebec to have the combined status of an ''arrondissement naturel'' and ''arrondissement historique''.
Jeanne Mance Park
Facing the mountain across
Parc Avenue is Jeanne Mance Park (Parc Jeanne-Mance), formerly known as Fletcher's Field.
[2] A popular recreational area, Jeanne Mance Park features an artificially surfaced field for soccer and football, tennis courts, two
baseball diamonds, a kiddie pool, playground,
beach volleyball courts and a community
composting facility.
Transmission towers
The park is also home to the
CBC's Mount Royal transmitter facility, which comprises two large buildings (one used primarily by the CBC and one used by the private
television stations) and a very short (about )
candelabra tower, from which nearly all of Montreal's television and
FM radio stations broadcast. Because of the close proximity of this tower to public areas of the park, in recent years significant concerns have been raised about radio-frequency radiation exposure; at several points formerly accessible to park users near the tower, radiation was found to be significantly higher than that permitted for the general public.
Adjacent landmarks
Outside the park, Mount Royal's slopes are also home to such Montreal landmarks as
St. Joseph's Oratory, Canada's largest church;
McGill University and its teaching hospitals, including the
Royal Victoria Hospital and
Montreal General Hospital; McGill's
Molson Stadium, home to the
CFL's
Montreal Alouettes; the
Université de Montréal; the
Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal; and some well-off residential neighbourhoods such as Upper
Westmount and Upper
Outremont.
Cemeteries
There are two cemeteries in the area:
Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery (Catholic),
Mount Royal Cemetery (non-denominational but primarily Protestant, and including several small Jewish cemeteries) -- all of which are now running out of space
[3].
Mount Royal's Tam-Tams
Mount Royal's Tam-Tam gathering
Mount Royal hosts a popular activity in summer time known as the "Sunday Tam-Tams", whereby a number of Montrealers and visitors play hand drums ("tam-tams" in French) such as
djembes on the east slope of the mountain, around the monument to
Sir George-Étienne Cartier. The Sunday gatherings attract people of various backgrounds, and often dozens of tam-tam players perform their art at the same time, encouraging others to dance. In addition, many children and adults participate in a continuous mock medieval battle with foam-padded weapons.
The origins of this spontaneous gathering are unknown, and it is not organized by the municipal authorities. Despite initial resistance by participants, the city now intervenes in the event, restricting commercial activity to registered members in designated areas and assigning police and
first aid technicians to ensure the safety of those present. Although initially controversial in light of the event's communal and countercultural vibe (and permissive attitude towards marijuana use) the police presence has not led to conflict.
Gallery
External links
★
Welcome to Mount Royal
★
Quick overview
References
1. A Hundred-Million Year History of the Corner Rise and New England Seamounts Retrieved on 2007-08-01
2. (See "Did You Know")
العربية
ä¸å›½
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिनà¥à¤¦à¥€
Italiano
日本語
Português
РуÑÑкий
Español
