Haunted Montreal Blog #128 – Ruins of Saint-Eusèbe-de-Verceil Church

Welcome to the one hundred and twenty-eighth installment of the Haunted Montreal Blog!

With over 600 documented ghost stories, Montreal is easily the most haunted city in Canada, if not all of North America. Haunted Montreal dedicates itself to researching these paranormal tales, and the Haunted Montreal Blog unveils a newly researched Montreal ghost story on the 13^th of every month!

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With the weather getting nicer, we have resumed public outdoor Haunted Old Montreal tours, with the rest of our outdoor public tour schedule, including Colonial Secrets of Old Montreal resuming throughout May.

Our Haunted Pub Crawl still runs every Sunday at 3 pm in English. Tours in French happen on the last Sunday of every month at 2 pm.

More on this in the Company News section.

This month, we take a look at an abandoned, crumbling church, that has become a destination for urban explorers, and is also purportedly haunted.

Haunted Research

Towering above Fullum Street in eastern Montreal stands the crumbling ruins of Saint-Eusèbe-de-Verceil Church.

Religious services were relocated in 2016 due to safety concerns about the deteriorating church, a dwindling flock of worshippers and rumours that the building was haunted.

The dilapidated building is causing a major headache for the Montreal Catholic Archdiocese.

Saint-Eusèbe-de-Verceil Parish was established in 1896 to cater to a growing Catholic population in the eastern part of Montreal. Church officials erected a temporary chapel for worshippers until a more permanent structure could be built.

In 1913, construction of the Saint-Eusèbe-de-Verceil Church finally began, based on plans by architect Aristide Beaugrand-Champagne.

Designed in the Romanesque Revival style, it was meant to be an imposing visual landmark at 2151 Fullum Street.

However, due to the First World War, work was suspended from 1914 to 1919. Resources were scare and men were conscripted to go fight in Europe.

After the war, work resumed on the church under the direction of Joseph-Henri Caron. The magnificent Saint-Eusèbe-de-Verceil Church opened its doors in 1923. At the time, it was one of the largest churches in Montreal.

The church functioned well with good attendance until the 1960s, when rumours spread that The Devil himself had somehow managed to enter Saint-Eusèbe-de-Verceil Church and take up residence in the holy building.

Stories circulated of the church bells ringing in the middle of the night during the Devil’s Hour, which starts at 3 a.m.

Local residents who went to investigate claimed they could also hear someone playing disjointed notes on the church organ late at night when the building was closed.

The priests denied the allegations and blamed Quebec’s Quiet Revolution for the falling attendance.

It was a time when church attendance fell across the province due to secularization and anger at the strict policies of the Catholic Church, not to mention allegations of abuse.

As the decades passed and attendance continued to dwindle, in 2003 the Diocese of Montreal merged the neighboring parishes of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul and Saint-Anselme into Saint-Eusèbe-de-Verceil.

Starting in 2009, worshippers moved into the church basement due to economic and security concerns.

In a nutshell, the diocese could not afford to fix structural defects in Saint-Eusèbe-de-Verceil Church, which were estimated at several million dollars. Furthermore, it cost tens of thousands of dollars annually to heat the immense building.

As such, services were held daily in a small chapel set up in a hallway between the deteriorating church and the rectory. At the time, parish secretary Laurianne Mailloux said: “For the few people who come, it’s more than enough.”

However, in March 2016 serious damage caused by leaking water triggered the few remaining worshippers to be relocated elsewhere.

At the time, parish priest Father Thomas explained: “When it came time to renew the building’s insurance, it was no longer possible. So, I made the decision to move the services.”

After Saint-Eusèbe-de-Verceil Church was abandoned, it began to take on a forlorn appearance. Despite being fenced off, vandals painted graffiti on its walls and urban explorers started breaking in to film the vast, crumbling interior.

Sadly, in 2019 a major fire broke out in the church, which required the intervention of dozens of firefighters.

The church floor was destroyed and the artworks inside were severely damaged. Investigators could not identify how the fire started but suspected it was caused by squatters or intruders.

Since then, the church has been vacant and is collapsing into ruin. The diocese has proposed several redevelopment projects over the years, such as a housing cooperative or private residential project. However, these ideas never came to fruition.

It soon became evident that Saint-Eusèbe-de-Verceil Church would have to be demolished due to its advanced deterioration, weakened structural conditions and the resulting safety issues.

Indeed, according to a CBC News report from February 2026 entitled Montreal parish fights to demolish derelict church that’s become a TikTok destination:

“Inside the church, the floor of the cavernous sanctuary is covered with debris, bird droppings, beer cans and the mangled remnants of the church’s organ… The sound of cooing pigeons and the flapping of wings echoes through the space, which once accommodated some 1,000 worshippers.”

Furthermore, Priest Roger Dufresne, who oversees the site, was scandalized when vandals graffitied the church’s interior. They spray-painted blasphemous messages such as “The Devil was here,” and “Kill God 666.”

Father Dufresne noted that intruders ripped out pipes from the Casavant Organ and tossed them on the floor, broke heads off statues and repeatedly climbed to the roof, trying to ring the church bell.

The priest said: “They use all kinds of tools to break the windows, break the doors, get inside. For young people, it’s mostly to make videos, TikTok challenges.”

Furthermore, the church has spent more than $100,000 trying to secure the site since 2017, including erecting a fence around the building and by hiring security guards. Despite those efforts, the City of Montreal has fined the church $219,000 related to the structural integrity of the building.

In 2012, the City’s Division de l’expertise en patrimoine et de la toponymie listed Saint-Eusèbe-de-Verceil Church a building of “exceptional heritage value”.

Such designations make demolition much more difficult.

Fully repairing the church would cost more than $50 million according to engineering firm CIMA+, but the parish does not have the funds nor the worshippers to fill such a large space.

With unfathomable challenges like these, Father Dufresne and the Montreal Catholic Archdiocese want Saint-Eusèbe-de-Verceil Church demolished as soon as possible.

On January 7, 2026, the parish asked a judge at the Superior Court of Quebec to grant a demolition permit, citing health and security concerns as well as financial difficulties.

As the parish waits for a decision, Saint-Eusèbe-de-Verceil Church continues to decay and fall into ruin as urban explorers, vandals and TikTokers continue to break in.

Haunted Montreal reached out to a TikToker to ask what conditions are like in the church’s interior. The influencer, who wanted to remain anonymous for legal reasons, described many of the same things from the CBC article: flocks of pigeons nesting in the rafters, crumpled beer cans, obscene graffiti and bent Casavant organ pipes littering the floor.

When we inquired if the TikToker had experienced any paranormal activity, they said:

“It’s funny you should mention that. One of the TikTok challenges is to go into the building alone and film during the Devils’ Hour because the church is haunted. It’s a big dare.”

When pressed for more information, the TikToker explained:

“The inside of the church is scary late at night. It is very dark. I used my flashlight to walk through all the beer cans, broken pews and organ pipes. I wanted to stream my TikTok video at the altar. As I approached, I swear I could hear a faint noise, like an echo. I froze and listened carefully. It sounded like some sort of laughter, quiet at first. But then it started getting louder and scarier. It started cackling and sounding full-on demonic!”

Haunted Montreal asked what the TikToker did next. They replied:

“I decided to get the hell out of there! I ran to the exit, trying not to trip over all the junk on the ground. As I bolted, I accidentally kicked a pile of broken organ pipes scattering them across the floor. As I was reaching the exit, I heard a noise that I have never heard before. It sounded like the organ playing, but in a wheezing and sputtering way, like something half-alive. I turned around for one last look and shone my flashlight. I swear I could see those broken organ pipes slithering around the floor while making that horrible groaning noise. Then I left, glad that I was still alive. I won’t be trying that TikTok challenge ever again.”

When Haunted Montreal asked them if they would swear to the truth about the story, the TikToker admitted that they had been on magic mushrooms, but added: “Dude, it’s totally true. I’d swear with my hand on the Bible.”

All of these deranged stories have led many people to ask: is Saint-Eusèbe-de-Verceil Church haunted by The Devil? These rumours have been circulating for decades, after all.

Whatever the case, until this church is demolished, it will undoubtably continue to witness all sorts of problems. From anti-social behaviour and vandalism to the possibility it might be haunted by The Devil himself, it would not be surprising if the historic Saint-Eusèbe-de-Verceil Church is demolished in the near future.

Company News

Our outdoor public tours are resuming with Haunted Old Montreal in April and the rest of our slate throughout May. Haunted Montreal is running our Haunted Pub Crawl every Sunday at 3 pm in English. Tours in French happen on the last Sunday of every month at 2 pm.

Colonial Secrets of Old Montreal will also resume in May, but is currently available in English and French as a private tour.

Private tours for any of our experiences (including outdoor tours, except for Haunted Mountain) can be booked at any time based on the availability of our actors.

Clients can request any date, time, language and operating tour. These tours are based on the availability of our actors and start at $250 for small groups of up to 8 people. Email info@hauntedmontreal.com to book a private tour!

Our bilingual indoor Paranormal Investigation at the Montreal Art Center and Museum in April is already Sold Out. We are working on adding another one in May. Stay tuned!

You can also bring the Haunted Montreal experience to your office party, house, school or event by booking one of our Travelling Ghost Storytellers today.

Hear some of the spookiest tales from our tours and our blog told by a professional actor and storyteller. You provide the venue, we provide the stories and storyteller. Find out more and then contact info@hauntedmontreal.com

In other news, if you want to send someone a haunted experience as a gift, you certainly can!

We are offering Haunted Montreal Gift Certificates through our website and redeemable via Eventbrite for any of our in-person or virtual events (no expiration date).

Our online shop is offline for the next few months. If you would like to purchase any Haunted Montreal-branded t-shirts or mugs in the meantime, please contact us at info@hauntedmontreal.com

Holly and Dr. Mab are back! Now part of Stygian Media, they will continue releasing Haunted Montreal videos based on our blogs in English and French among other horror-themed content.

Please like, subscribe and hit the bell!

Haunted Montreal also has temporarily altered its blog experience due to a commitment on a big writing project! Until further notice, we will be offering updates on old stories every second month and the regular blog service alternating.

Haunted Montreal would like to thank all our clients who attended a ghost walk, haunted pub crawl, paranormal investigation or virtual event!

If you enjoyed the experience, we encourage you to write a review on our Tripadvisor page and/or on Google Reviews – something that really helps Haunted Montreal to market its tours.

Lastly, if you would like to receive the Haunted Montreal Blog on the 13th of each month, please sign up to our mailing list.

Coming Up on May 13: Update on The Black Rock

In March 2018, Haunted Montreal first wrote about The Black Rock, a 30-ton granite boulder that marks the site of the city’s second mass grave for Irish Famine victims. Located in an industrial area on Bridge Street, efforts have been made to create a world-class park on the desecrated burial ground. However, the project has been sabotaged and the plans presented are raising eyebrows among the stakeholders who were excluded from participating.

Author:

Donovan King is a postcolonial historian, teacher, tour guide and professional actor. As the founder of Haunted Montreal, he combines his skills to create the best possible Montreal ghost stories, in both writing and theatrical performance. King holds a DEC (Professional Theatre Acting, John Abbott College), BFA (Drama-in-Education, Concordia), B.Ed (History and English Teaching, McGill), MFA (Theatre Studies, University of Calgary) and ACS (Montreal Tourist Guide, Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec). He is also a certified Montreal Destination Specialist.

Translator (into French):

Claude Chevalot holds a master’s degree in applied linguistics from McGill University. She is a writer, editor and translator. For more than 15 years, she has devoted herself almost exclusively to literary translation and to the translation of texts on current and contemporary art.