Saint-Leonard Cavern

The Saint-Léonard Cavern or la caverne de Saint-Léonard is a cave on the island of Montreal, in Quebec, Canada. It is located underneath Pie-XII Park (Pius XII Park) in the borough of Saint-Léonard in Montreal. It is a registered historic site. The cavern has restricted access but guided tours are available.

Entrance to Saint-Léonard Cave in Pie XII Park

History

The cave was discovered in 1812. During the Patriote Rebellion of 1837, it served as an armoury, weapons cache, and hidey-hole for Les Patriotes. In 1968, the government deemed it a safety risk and closed off the cave. In 1978, the Quebec Speleological Society reopened the cave for study. It was subsequently declared a historic landmark, and tours were set up. Until 2017, the cave was thought to be comparatively small underground structure, at 35 metres long with a depth of 8 metres.[1] However, a second cave was discovered in 2017 which measures 250 metres long. This dimension may be extended with further exploration.[2]

References
  1. The Saint-Leonard Cavern Archived 2017-12-04 at the Wayback Machine, Alive 375: Society for the Celebrations of Montréal's 375th Anniversary, 2015
  2. Michelle Lalonde, Spelunkers discover 15,000-year-old cavern in St-Léonard park, Montreal Gazette, December 1, 2017
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45.5886°N 73.6077°W / 45.5886; -73.6077


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