Marguerite Bourgeois Museum

In the historical part of Montreal is located Notre-Dame de Bon Secour – a small temple built by French settlers in 1678 on the initiative of Margaret Bourgeois – mentor and founder of the religious order. From Europe, Margaret brought a statue of the Virgin Mary Helping, whose name was named the first Catholic Church of Canada.

Seventy years later, the temple burned down, but legends say that the statue of the Virgin and sacred relics were not damaged in the fire. In 1771 the building was rebuilt again. In the middle of the XIX century, more and more ships enter the port, in connection with which statues of angels and the Virgin were installed on the roof of the temple, as if extending her hands for the blessing of sailors.

The church now houses the Margaret Bourgeois Museum, which was canonized after her death. In 2005, her remains were transferred from France to the cathedral. Also in the crypt of the temple are archaeological work, during which the oldest artifacts were found.