About the Heritage Museum
Its History
The Heritage Museum is located in the core of the town of Saint-Pierre and is housed in an exceptional hundred-year-old building.
The history of this building
begins in the 19th century. To the best of our knowledge,
it was on October 11th 1862 that this parcel of land,
located at the intersection of Bisson* and St-Louis**
streets, was purchased by Monsieur François Jacyes Mazier.
He built a house that includes today’s museum
entrance and four of our ten rooms.
Sixty years later, his
inheritors sold the land and the house to Monsieur Julien
Morazé who built the store and warehouse that makeup the
bulk of today’s building.
M. Briand & Son
Collection
In 1939, Monsieur Henri Morazé
and his wife, Renée Hardy, became the owners of the
building. Monsieur Morazé, an astute businessman, made his
fortune during the 1930s. He is to this day, a well-known
figure of the islands. At his death, in 1987, his family
sold the building and land.
M. Briand & Son
Collection
Since acquiring this centennial
building, and with fifteen years of restoration work, in
2003, the Heritage Museum opened its doors.
* Rue St-Louis has since been
renamed Rue Pierre l’Espagnol.
** Rue Bisson has since been renamed rue Maître Georges
Lefèvre.
Mission Statement
The Heritage Museum has a mission, which is to raise international awareness and interest in the history of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Our exhibits represent the evolution of history, economics and religious heritage of the quaint nugget of French land that is the islands of St. Pierre et Miquelon.
When visiting the 10 different
rooms our exhibits, you will go back in time and discover
an abundance of distinctive regional history such as: The
Nuns of St Joseph of Cluny, an order who arrived in the
islands in 1826. You will also discover the evolution of
medicine as practiced locally through the many artifacts
and scientific instruments in our collection, immerse
yourself in the atmosphere of a classroom from bygone days,
or the world of fishermen who worked from dories. This is
the world of our grandparents, and great-grand-parents.
The Heritage Museum is a living space and an institution
designed to inform, collect and preserve the history of our
islands.