Citizen alert
12375 Rue du Fort Lorette, Montreal, QC, Canada
Municipality or borough
Ahuntsic-Cartierville
Active from 1696 to 1721, the Fort Lorette mission was the second location of the Sulpicians’ Indigenous mission on the Island of Montréal. Originally established at Fort de la Montagne, on the southern slope of Mount Royal, the mission was gradually relocated to Sault-au-Récollet beginning in 1696.
The Sulpician François Vachon de Belmont chose this location along the Rivière des Prairies to distance Indigenous people from the temptations of Montréal and Lachine, particularly the brandy traders. He had a bastioned wooden palisade fort built and established a chapel, a seigneurial residence and a convent for the Sisters of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame. An Indigenous cemetery was also established on the site.
Beginning in 1721, the Indigenous residents of the mission were relocated to the Seigneurie des Deux-Montagnes, in Oka. The Notre-Dame-de-Lorette chapel is believed to have remained in use for religious services until the construction of the parish church between 1749 and 1751.
The location of the fort was identified in 2017 during an archaeological survey conducted ahead of a construction project. Excavations uncovered two trenches believed to correspond to sections of the palisade, as well as masonry made of rough fieldstones. South of the fort’s presumed boundaries, archaeologists discovered trade beads, pipe fragments and coarse earthenware sherds.
The site was designated a classified heritage site in 2018 and has been owned by the City of Montréal since that same year.
Latest updates
The Fort Lorette archaeological site, located in Sault-au-Récollet, is a classified heritage site recognized for its historical and archaeological significance and the presence of archaeological remains still buried beneath the ground. Today, the site includes a vacant, deteriorating building and an encampment where several people…
In the media 
Ayant vu un campement apparaître dans son voisinage, l’auteur est parti en quête de réponses auprès des diverses administrations.
In 2026, the presence of an encampment of people experiencing homelessness on the site has raised concerns about the preservation and management of this heritage property. In an opinion column published in La Presse on October 30, 2026, a local resident reported observing the installation of a tent in the spring, followed by additional makeshift structures, as well as the use of open fires and a generator. According to this account, several authorities have been contacted regarding the protection of the site, including the City of Montréal, the borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville, heritage authorities, fire safety services and Québec’s Ministry of Culture.
Les fouilles réalisées sur le site de Fort-Lorette dans l’arrondissement d’Ahuntsic-Cartierville intéressent plusieurs citoyens qui ont eu la possibilité d’en apprendre davantage le 17 juin dernier. L’objectif de cette rencontre était de présenter les résultats détaillés des foui
In the media 
La Ville de Montréal annoncera sous peu le lancement de fouilles archéologiques afin de mieux documenter l’un des plus anciens villages de l’île.
La Ville de Montréal a annoncé en conférence de presse jeudi qu’elle allait procéder sans tarder à l’acquisition du site patrimonial de Fort Lorette dans le Sault-au-Récollet. Le conseil municipal du lundi 28 mai devra approuver l’accord de principe établi entre le propriétaire a
In the media 
La Ville versera le double du prix payé par un promoteur privé en 2017.
In the media 
La Ville de Montréal imposera une réserve foncière dans l'objectif d'empêcher tout développement immobilier sur le site de Fort Lorette, près du parc de l'Île-de-la-Visitation.
La Ministre fédérale du Patrimoine canadien et députée d’Ahuntsic-Cartierville s’est prononcée sur le dossier des fouilles du 12375, rue du Fort-Lorette, en fin d’après-midi jeudi 18 mai, après avoir été sollicitée à quelques reprises pour une entrevue par journaldesvoisins.com T
Land adjacent to the Church of the Visitation, a classified historic monument, sold to a real estate developer for condominium development. The site is of significant historical and landscape value, located along the banks of the Rivière des Prairies. It is believed to be the…
Perhaps it is simply naïveté on my part, but I am still astonished, especially in an age when communication can sometimes travel faster than lightning, that small groups of individuals manage to circumvent the many layers of our social, institutional and governmental structures to find…
La propriété du 12375, rue du Fort-Lorette, en bordure de la rivière des Prairies, jouxtant la Résidence Ignace-Bourget, et la Résidence André-Laurendeau (à l’ouest) et l’Église de la Visitation-de-la-Bienheureuse-Vierge-Marie (à l’est), vient d’être vendue au promoteur immobilie
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