Owned by the Sisters Since 1854: A Vast Montreal Religious Estate Goes Up for Sale to Help Poor Children

• The Sisters of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame are selling Domaine Villa Maria in Montreal’s west end.
• The property covers 1.7 million square feet and has been owned by the sisters since 1854.
• It includes a residence, an infirmary, an administrative centre, Villa Maria High School, gardens and an orchard.
• Net proceeds will support Quebec students living in poverty; the price is expected to run into hundreds of millions of dollars.

A Catholic religious order is putting a vast Montreal landholding on the market. Connect CRE reported that the Sisters of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame (CND) are selling Domaine Villa Maria.

The property straddles the Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough and Westmount. It covers 1.7 million square feet and has been owned by the sisters since 1854. It includes a residence, an infirmary for the sisters, an administrative centre, the private Villa Maria High School, which the CND founded, and gardens and an orchard. Colliers International is the broker. Maranapolis College is excluded, having been bought by a non-profit for $8 million in March.

The expected price runs to hundreds of millions of dollars. Villa Maria High School’s lease will be honoured until 2030, and the school’s board has the right of first refusal to buy its building. Net proceeds will support vulnerable Quebec primary and secondary students living in poverty.

Sister Ona Bessette, general leader of the CND, said: “Domaine Villa Maria is our most important asset in Quebec, and we want its sale to support children living in poverty.” Catherine Maheu, chair of the high school’s board, said: “We are determined to remain on our heritage site to pursue the educational mission.”

Religious orders and churches often hold land assembled long ago that has become enormously valuable as cities grow around it. Jamaica’s older denominations and orders also own significant sites, including schools and convents. How such land is sold matters: this sale protects an existing school’s lease, gives it a chance to buy, and directs the money to children in need. Church bodies considering large disposals in Jamaica could look at similar protections for schools and tenants, and investors should expect such sales to come with conditions.

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