Place Royale

The first wooden habitation stood behind a ditch and palisade and mainly supported the fur trade. By the 1620s, the square had the city’s first market and was called Market Square. After British rule began, renewed commerce drew merchants, shipowners and architects to its buildings. The square lost its commercial role in the 19th century as industry and Montréal’s port grew. Recreating the district’s late 18th-century appearance required demolishing later structures and additions.

1. 1608On 3 July, Samuel de Champlain arrived and ordered a fortified trading post built. It became the oldest permanent French settlement in America.
2. 1624Champlain began replacing the first wooden building with one made of stone. Archaeologists found its foundations in the 1970s.
3. 1682A fire destroyed wooden buildings. Rebuilt buildings had stone firewalls between them.
4. 1686Intendant Jean Bochart de Champigny erected a bust of Louis XIV, giving the square its present name.
5. 1759British forces under General James Wolfe besieged Québec for three months. Bombardment damaged much of the city, including the square.