The Bonsecours Market, with the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours (1771) at the extreme left. Photograph, caption, and commentary by Philip V. Allingham. William Footner, a British architect, designed this silver-domed landmark (1846), which briefly served as Canada's Parliament Buildings in 1849 when Montreal was the capital of Upper and Lower Canada. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL.]

The Queen's Theatre would have stood immediately across the street from the Sailor's Chapel, at what is now the extreme far end of the Market. Modelled by architect William Footner on the Dublin Customs House, the Bonsecours Market is 535 feet long and 45 feet wide, surmounted by a 100-foot silver dome. Fronted by a Doric colonnade, it made a suitable temporary home for the Canadian parliament in 1849, when Montreal was still the capital of Upper and Lower Canada.

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Last modified 1 November 2007