Construction of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel

Ville-Marie (Montreal), New France (Quebec), 1675. Illustration : Francis Back. Photography : Bernard Dubois.
Construction of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel

In 1655, two years after her arrival in Ville-Marie, Marguerite Bourgeoys undertook the construction of a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary on the edge of the Saint Lawrence River since attacks by the Iroquois made pilgrimages to the cross on the mountain too perilous. With the help of de Maisonneuve and the first settlers, Marguerite began her project. The work was interrupted, resumed only in 1675 and was completed three years later. The chapel became the first stone chapel built on the island of Montreal.