Montréal russe

Montréal russe, Denis Lessard's project for Mémoire vive, included several components. On Orthodox Pentecost (Sunday, June 23, 2002) and the feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (Sunday, July14, 2002), he invited the public for a brief immersion in the Russian Orthodox community at Saint Peter and Saint Paul's Cathedral, in Montreal's Centre-Sud neighbourhood. Visitors could attend the liturgy in the morning and share lunch with the community in the church basement. A guided tour took place in the afternoon, prepared by Denis and his collaborators. Historian Manon Leroux contextualized the Russian and Slav presence in Quebec, in relation to Russian history and the different waves of immigration; Éric Coupal and Julie Fontaine (from the team of museum guides at Centre d'histoire de Montréal, now the Centre des mémoires montréalaises) presented a history of the church building; Father Cyrille Bradette explained the foundations of Orthodox spirituality; finally, a parishioner shared her own history, describing her family's arrival in Canada and the relationships they developed over the years with the parish and community.

During the month of August (on Saturdays, August 17 and 24, 2002), the second component of Montréal russe invited the public for a visit of some of Little Russia's businesses in the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood (near the Snowdon subway station). The visit included a brief history of Russia in the twentieth century (presented by Manon Leroux and the CHM team), a tasting of Russian specialties, as well as information on the Russian community in Quebec today, its cuisine and crafts.