This is the convent of Gravelbourg, a small town in Canada that boasts a long-time motto: “a touch of Europe on the prairie.”

For over a decade this stately building—a true stunner in the middle of very little else—has been useless and vacant, but the town is determined to preserve it until someone can propose a use that suits Gravelbourg and its needs.

Town planners hope that will be housing, but many ideas have come across their desk in the last few years, including a prison, and a casino.

Built in 1917 along with a Cathedral and a building called the Bishop’s Palace, which has found a second life as a B&B, the trio are designated national historic landmarks of Canada, and were established by Frenchmen who wanted to create a true center of French culture on the prairies of North Ameri

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