The oldest building in Montreal, the Saint-Sulpice Seminary has stood on the same site since the end of the seventeenth century. It was the residence of the Sulpicians, who were not only the incumbents of the parish of Montreal but also the seigneurs of the Island of Montreal, Two Mountains and Saint-Sulpice. Between 1760 and 1840, the Sulpicians were on the defensive because some British-Canadians questioned the very basis of their proprietary rights over the seigneuries. It is understandable that these rights could have hindered trade when it is known that each time property changed hands in Montreal, the vendor had to pay duty equivalent to twelve percent of the value of the property; the Sulpicians, however, had lowered this duty to five percent. Before the arrival of a bishop in 1821, the Seminary was the religious centre of Montreal. In charge of the parish, the SuIpicians used their income to support a large number of the charitable and teaching institutions in the city and acted as advisors to religious communities.
