Le Temple Maçonnique
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Masonic Memorial Temple

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Canada.

America,

Hemisphere,

World.

colony,

France,

Confederacy,

Land.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 23, 2024

2. Le Temple Maçonnique/Masonic Memorial Temple Marker

The marker is mounted on a knee-high granite pedestal.

The key elements that contribute to the heritage character of this site include: its location on a prestigious street in downtown Montreal; the

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 23, 2024

3. Le Temple Maçonnique/Masonic Memorial Temple Marker

The marker is located on the right/south side of the front entrance.

placement of the building almost flush with the sidewalk on both of its major elevations; the classical design and detailing of its Saint Marc street façade, including its tripartite division, Ionic pilasters, carved medallions, rusticated ashlar foundation and carved cornice; the classical design and detailing of its Sherbrooke street façade, including its tripartite division, rusticated ashlar foundation, carved cornice, carved entablature, portico with alternating Ionic columns and tripod light stands, its carved pediment, its medallions flanking the portico, the foundation frieze with classical and Masonic motifs, and the main entrance with its bronze door and surrounding motifs; and the elements of its design and detailing which symbolize Masonic beliefs, including the Ionic columns, its square form and right angles, its tripartite divisions, its classical design and detailing, the Masonic symbols along the foundation frieze, the illuminated globes atop Solomonic columns flanking the main entrance, and its interior layout, modeled on the Biblical temple of King Solomon.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 23, 2024

4. Le Temple Maçonnique/Masonic Memorial Temple (southwest elevation)

Excerpt:  The Masonic Memorial Temple was conceived as a meeting place for the Masonic order as well as a memorial to Freemasons who gave their lives during World War I, replacing a Masonic Temple that had existed in a mixed-use building on Dorchester Street since 1895. In 1928, the order contracted architect John Smith Archibald to design a new temple and supervise its construction. The ceremonial laying of the cornerstone took place on June 22, 1929, with thirty-six lodges and 2,000 Masons parading to the new temple from the Dorchester Street Temple. The Grand Lodge of Quebec met for the first time in the new temple on February 12, 1930.
The main facade, on Sherbrooke, has a base made of rusticated limestone and features four openings as well as a prominent central entrance, flanked by two free-standing columns topped by terrestrial and celestial spheres. The main door is made of detailed architectural bronze. A decorative belt course defines the upper part of the base and consists of ornamental carving and words in relief: FIDES, VERITAS, CARITAS, LIBERTAS, SPES ("Faith", "Truth", "Charity", "Liberty", and "Hope" in Modern

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 23, 2024

5. Le Temple Maçonnique/Masonic Memorial Temple (northwest/front elevation)

English).

Excerpt:  Designed in the Beaux-Arts tradition, it resembles a Greek temple and occupies a corner lot in Montréal’s urban core. The imposing main façade features a rusticated limestone base with four openings and a central entrance flanked by two freestanding columns supporting terrestrial and celestial spheres. The main double-door is made of bronze. The decorative belt course that defines the upper part of the base features ornamental carving and words in relief.

Excerpt:  Built to honour the Freemasons who had served and fallen in the First World War, today it is the meeting place and headquarters of the Grand Lodge of Québec. Designed by prominent Montréal architect John Smith Archibald in 1929-1930, the Masonic Memorial Temple uses a form of classicism favoured by the Beaux-Arts school of design during

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the first decades of the 20th century. With its prominent portico, temple-like entrance and windowless expanses, the building evokes a traditional Greek temple. The complex interior layout uses Beaux-Arts principles of rational symmetrical planning to suggest the Biblical temple of Solomon.