Bourgeoys, Marguerite (nun in Ville-Marie, Québec)

Bourgeoys, Marguerite (nun in Ville-Marie, Québec)

Marguerite Bourgeoys’ legacy in Ville-Marie is defined by the time she spent as an educator. She went to great lengths, quite literally, to create schooling opportunities for both the children of settlers and Indigenous children. She often made trips back to France to recruit women who would accompany her in instructing the children as well as to seek permission for her practices from the king. Her congregation sought to teach young girls how to read, write, and perform simple handiwork that would enable them to earn their own livelihood. It is said that she took a particular interest in the children who were less privileged; for whom she founded a domestic training school. Bourgeoys established a number of other, smaller schools in and around Ville-Marie as well.

Circa. 1653 - 1685

Person

Ville-Marie; schoolhouse near Hôpital Saint-Joseph; Ouvroir de la Providence (Pointe-Saint-Charles); chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours; village of Montagne.

Hélène Bernier, “BOURGEOYS, MARGUERITE, called du Saint-Sacrement,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography , vol. 1, University of Toronto / Université Laval, 2003–, accessed October 2, 2021, https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/bourgeoys_marguerite_1E.html

1620

Troyes, Champagne (France)

1700

Montréal

Nun; school mistress (teacher); founder of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame de Montréal; founder of Ouvroir de la Providence among other smaller schools; recruiter of teachers; housed and cared for les filles de roi.

French

The beginning of Marguerite Bourgeoys’ life in New France is marked by her aversion to joining the external congregation in Troyes. However, upon an enlightening experience in 1640, she had a change of heart and decided to join. This would later lead to her meeting the governor of Ville-Marie, Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve, who allowed her to travel to Ville-Marie upon her request. She arrived in Ville-Marie in the year of 1653. A few years later in 1657, she convinced a group to band together in order to build Montréal’s first stone church (Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours). In 1658, she began working as a schoolteacher to children in Ville-Marie. She established a number of schools for both the girls who came from noble families as well as girls who were less privileged. In addition to teaching, Bourgeoys housed, cared for, and prepared les filles du roi for marriage and familial life. She was also responsible for determining whether or not the settlers who came to seek a wife through her agency were worthy suitors.

N/A

Walker, John Henry. Portrait of Marguerite Bourgeoys. Encyclopedia of French Cultural Heritage in North America. Musée McCord, 2007. https://www.ameriquefrancaise.org/en/article-385/True_Portrait_of_Marguerite_Bourgeoys.html#6.1.

Conflict and Change in Early Canadian History (Carleton HIST 1301)

Julia Kofov