Brothers of Christian Instruction Archives Centre
870, Saint-Jean Way, La Prairie (Quebec) J5R 2E6 
450-659-1922
boutinf@jdlm.qc.ca
www.provincejdlm.com
CONSULTATION
Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 4:30 pm, preferably by appointment.
Requests must be clearly and precisely presented and research inquiries must be justified. Researchers must comply with the Archives Centre’s policies.
BRIEF HISTORY
The religious community of the Brothers of Christian Instruction (Frères de l'instruction chrétienne or FIC) was founded in Ploërmel (Morbihan, Bretagne), France, in 1819. It was established in Quebec in 1886, more precisely in Montréal and in Chambly. The FIC created a boys’ school in La Prairie in 1888, then established their mother house as well as a novitiate in 1889, also in La Prairie. The origins of the Archives Centre can be traced back to 1971.
DESCRIPTION OF FONDS AND COLLECTIONS
The FIC Archives Centre contains collections from scholarly establishments led by the Brothers as well as from the houses and lands they possessed. It also includes the FIC’s textbooks and workbooks produced since 1895, a portion of the « La Bonne Chanson » archives, founded by abbot Charles-Émile Gadbois, and a collection of catechisms and manuals from the Breton FIC.
Other Collections
The centre contains antique objects and volumes as well as dictionaries and other works.
Time span covered by archives: 1841-today
Technical specifications and maps: approx. 500
Iconographic documents: approx. 60,000
Text documents: 270 m.l.
Number of fonds: approx. 1,500
MANDATE AND MISSION
The FIC archives are mandated to conserve and showcase the assets and heritage of the Congregation in Canada. They primarily aim to conserve the documents from the schools founded and directed by the FIC in Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick.