St. Boniface Boys COllege
The origins of St. Boniface College or Collège de Saint-Boniface can be traced back to the small log house of Father Norbert Provencher, who with the blessing of Lord Selkirk, came to the Red River Settlement in 1818. This small log house served as a chapel, residence for the Father, and school that taught grammar, reading, catechism, and prayers to the French-speaking inhabitants of the Settlement, including Métis peoples. Education focussed mainly upon providing an education for young people in an effort to recruit priests into the Catholic Church, but due to the small number of pupils in the first few years and the nature of Red River's rural environment, the school faced challenges like floods, fires, and famine. In 1833, a separate schoolhouse was constructed to alleviate the space constraints of Provencher's house.
In 1855, the College was officially founded by Mgr Alexandre Taché who replaced Provencher as the Bishop of Saint-Boniface. The same year, a second boarding school was established in what is now Provencher Park, and this site would be the location of the Boys College, as well as the post-secondary institution of the Collège de Saint-Boniface, until 1922, when a catastrophic fire destroyed the building.
The Collège de Saint-Boniface was incorporated in 1871, making it the first post-secondary institution in Western Canada, and in 1877, the College joined with Manitoba College and St. John's College to form the University of Manitoba, under-which it strove to maintain its autonomy as a French Catholic institution. Catholic Oblates had been charged with the education of the College's students after the Frères des écoles chrétiennes (Brothers of the Christian Schools) handed over control from 1860 to 1866 and 1870 to 1878. In 1885, the Jesuits were brought in, as there were too few "Oblates to provide adequate instruction."
By 1880, the building that would house the Boys College and post-secondary institution was erected by Archbishop Taché. This stone structure designed by Balston C. Kenway and sat on a twenty two-acre plot of land East of the cathedral where Provencher Park is located today. It was four storeys high, and after further expansions to this building were made in 1902 and 1905, the building measured approximately "300' by 62'". In the years following the 1880 construction, registration averaged at about 300 students, 150 of which were boarders.
Though the College was initially founded as a seminary to recruit priests, the College had diversified, and by 1909, it became clear that the secondary and post-secondary schools required their own building. In 1911, a palatial stone building on Avenue de la Cathedrale was constructed for the Seminary. After the fire of 1922, the Seminary at 200 De La Catherdrale Avenue was donated by the Archbishop of St. Boniface, Mgr. Arthur Béliveau to the College to house and educate its students.
Lost in the fire were the lives of nine students and one Jesuit priest. The entire building, including the 20,000 volume library was destroyed except the two-storey kitchen wing, which now houses the C.K.S.B. radio station, the first station in Western Canada to broadcast entirely in French. Radio-Canada, the French-language portion of the CBC, bought the station in 1972.
Women were welcomed into the classes in 1953, and by 1983, the College stopped teaching secondary school all together and the last High School students were transferred to Collège Louis-Riel.
In 2011, the College was finally given university status through the Université de Saint-Boniface Act.
In 1855, the College was officially founded by Mgr Alexandre Taché who replaced Provencher as the Bishop of Saint-Boniface. The same year, a second boarding school was established in what is now Provencher Park, and this site would be the location of the Boys College, as well as the post-secondary institution of the Collège de Saint-Boniface, until 1922, when a catastrophic fire destroyed the building.
The Collège de Saint-Boniface was incorporated in 1871, making it the first post-secondary institution in Western Canada, and in 1877, the College joined with Manitoba College and St. John's College to form the University of Manitoba, under-which it strove to maintain its autonomy as a French Catholic institution. Catholic Oblates had been charged with the education of the College's students after the Frères des écoles chrétiennes (Brothers of the Christian Schools) handed over control from 1860 to 1866 and 1870 to 1878. In 1885, the Jesuits were brought in, as there were too few "Oblates to provide adequate instruction."
By 1880, the building that would house the Boys College and post-secondary institution was erected by Archbishop Taché. This stone structure designed by Balston C. Kenway and sat on a twenty two-acre plot of land East of the cathedral where Provencher Park is located today. It was four storeys high, and after further expansions to this building were made in 1902 and 1905, the building measured approximately "300' by 62'". In the years following the 1880 construction, registration averaged at about 300 students, 150 of which were boarders.
Though the College was initially founded as a seminary to recruit priests, the College had diversified, and by 1909, it became clear that the secondary and post-secondary schools required their own building. In 1911, a palatial stone building on Avenue de la Cathedrale was constructed for the Seminary. After the fire of 1922, the Seminary at 200 De La Catherdrale Avenue was donated by the Archbishop of St. Boniface, Mgr. Arthur Béliveau to the College to house and educate its students.
Lost in the fire were the lives of nine students and one Jesuit priest. The entire building, including the 20,000 volume library was destroyed except the two-storey kitchen wing, which now houses the C.K.S.B. radio station, the first station in Western Canada to broadcast entirely in French. Radio-Canada, the French-language portion of the CBC, bought the station in 1972.
Women were welcomed into the classes in 1953, and by 1983, the College stopped teaching secondary school all together and the last High School students were transferred to Collège Louis-Riel.
In 2011, the College was finally given university status through the Université de Saint-Boniface Act.
