This Performance Space Grants a Second Life to an Underutilized Church in Quebec

Between 1850 and 1960, the Catholic Church had an unparalleled influence on nearly every facet of life in Quebec, ranging from education to cultural life. Since the 1960s, however, in part due to profound shifts in society and the ageing population, church attendance has dwindled considerably.

According to a study published in October 2021 by Statistics Canada, 14% of Quebec’s population participated in a religious group activity at least once per month from 2017 to 2019. The church attendance percentage used to be much higher, close to 85%, until the early 1960s. In the whole province, 612 of 2746 churches listed in 2003 have since been demolished, closed or renovated to facilitate another use, according to a May 2019 report by the Québec Religious Heritage Council. In other words, 22% of religious property has disappeared in the span of 16 years.

The province thus finds itself with an abundance of underutilized or even abandoned churches. In recent years, many of these properties have been transformed by entrepreneurial developers, primarily into multifamily properties, but some churches have evolved to serve a wide array of commercial, cultural and societal functions.

One such example is the Centre de création de Boisbriand, which is giving a second life to Notre-Dame-de-Fatima Church. The church was previously a cornerstone of the community of Boisbriand, a city located in the Lower Laurentians on the north shore of Montreal. However, after a fire damaged the church in 2013, the clergy determined that it lacked the resources or the community support to restore the building. Nonetheless, many of the local citizens still thought of the property fondly, and it was eventually acquired by the city of Boisbriand in 2017.

Sébastien Gauthier, one of the four co-founders of professional theater troupe Petit Théâtre du Nord, saw an opportunity to transform the church into a performance venue. The city of Boisbriand additionally decided that the church could be more than just a performance venue, but act as a community center for creativity. Just as the church once served as the center of spirituality in the community, it could now become the town’s epicenter of creative expression. However, taking an abandoned, fire-damaged church and transforming it into a versatile performance space and cultural center was not a simple process.

Architects from Montreal-based firm Cardin Julien and from Atelier IDEA — an architecture firm from Sainte-Adele, in the Laurentians — collaborated on the two-year project, which was completed in August 2020. “The main challenge was to do a project that honored the existing space and also worked with the clients’ needs,’’ explained Vincent Deslauriers, architect at Cardin Julien, who was closely involved in the project.

The Notre-Dame-de-Fatima church is not a heritage building, which simplified its transformation. “We still considered that, since it was indeed a church, it still had heritage significance, even if it was less flashy than other churches that we’ve heard about,” said Deslauriers.

“We knew that the church was important for the Boisbriand community, that things happened in that church, so we didn’t want to completely deform it,’’ added the architect. “When we started working on the project, it involved keeping the bell tower, for instance. We were sensitive to the building’s history.’’

Two significant elements were added: a black block to extend the space, which opens to morph into the bar used for shows, as well as a loading dock at the back of the center. “We wanted to add the black block to underline what was added to the project as opposed to what was already there,” said Deslauriers. The bar’s inside is red, and the fiery color also features on benches and carpets throughout the space.

In addition to the indoor space, a courtyard was added in front of the church to enable universal accessibility to the building. “The expansion includes the box office and a ramp to access the ground floor, which is higher than the site’s level,’’ said Deslauriers.

The courtyard is also used as an extension of the lobby during the warmer months.

Before the courtyard addition, there was a gigantic parking lot, so it was an obvious choice to cut a few parking spots to improve the exterior space. The courtyard was an element that was quite important to Petit Théâtre du Nord.

“We wanted it to remain a gathering place,’’ explained Mélanie St-Laurent, executive director and co-founder of Petit Théâtre du Nord. “There’s a long alley that allows people to chat as they leave a show. In the bathroom in the basement, there’s a large space around the communal sink that encourages conversation. These are initiatives from the architects to ensure that we are still in a space of sharing and communication,’’ added St-Laurent. “Churches were a place where we gathered, and that’s still the case today.”

It is important that Quebecers consider not only their stately churches, but also their smaller, underused churches, according to Deslauriers. “A church is a gathering place that transforms well into a show venue. These are very natural transformations,’’ he said.

Acoustics were of critical importance in this project, because the venue is a black box theater where the human voice needs to be heard without the aid of a microphone. Cardin Julien worked with acoustic expert SoftdB to optimize the sound in the space.

Contrary to a ground-up development, where architects have total control over the thickness of the walls, “we had to increase the density [of the existing walls] to block outside noise,’’ said Deslauriers. “It’s a theater, so we couldn’t hear horns, snowplows, etc. We had to think about the sound management in a multifunctional space, so if we change configurations, the acoustics adapt as well.’’

St-Laurent said that with a max of 185 seats, the intimacy of the theater’s past two venues is still there. “It’s a small theater and the exchange that we used to have with the public is still very much alive,” said St-Laurent. The space is also quite versatile and features removable furniture to enable four different room configurations.

Thanks to an agreement reached with the city in 2021, Petit Théâtre du Nord occupies the space as artists in residence. In 2022, they will be signing an agreement to manage the creation center as well. Having a designated space to perform and rehearse in has made a huge difference for the local theater troupe. “It changes everything, because through all of these years, Petit Théâtre du Nord couldn’t develop other activities in a dedicated space,” said St-Laurent. “We also have offices that are accessible to the public now. To be able to welcome spectators in a venue completely furnished with professional, permanent equipment is a game-changer, and it allows our creative team to develop other projects.”

Petit Théâtre du Nord has been the main occupant of the space since its August 2020 opening, yet it is available to other local organizations specializing in cultural creation as well.

The center is also part of the neighborhood’s general revival, explained Christine Beaudette, Mayor of Boisbriand. “People who have had the chance to visit have made very positive comments,” she said. “It allows emerging artists to come up with new projects, and I think it’s enriching our culture.”