In addition to the Musée des Hospitalières de l’Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal and the crypt located under the chapel of the Hôtel-Dieu where the remains of Jeanne Mance rest, there are several commemorative sites in Montreal:
The project to erect a statue representing Jeanne Mance in her hometown of Langres, in Champagne, began in 1932. Jeanne Mance’s baptismal certificate was discovered in Langres at this date. The Second World War interrupted the process, which would resume several years later.
In 1962, a Montreal-Langres committee chaired by Montrealer Georgette Gagnon was set up to support the project of erecting a monument to Jeanne Mance in her hometown. In 1965, the Langres-Montreal Association was founded in Langres to carry out the project on this side of the Atlantic.
The inauguration of the statue of Jeanne Mance in Langres took place on May 5, 1968, in the presence of dignitaries and the Religious Hospitallers of Saint Joseph of Montreal. It is the only statue of Jeanne Mance depicting her in an orthostatic position, that is, standing. It is located in front of Saint-Mammès Cathedral and was erected precisely on the site of the baptismal font of the former Saint Pierre and Saint Paul Church where Jeanne Mance was baptized on November 12, 1606.
This statue is the work of the French artist Jean Cardot (1930-2020), who also sculpted the statues of Charles de Gaulle and Winston Churchill in Paris.
June 18, 1973
The presentation and official issue of the Jeanne Mance stamp took place at the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal on June 18, 1973, on the occasion of the third centenary of the death of the founder of the Hôtel-Dieu and founder of Montreal. The event took place in the presence of the Honorable André Ouellet, Postmaster General of Canada Post.
May 18, 1992
Founded by Sister Thérèse Payer, rhsj, the Musée des Hospitalières de l’Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal was inaugurated on May 18, 1992, on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the founding of Montreal and the Hôtel-Dieu. A space on the first floor of the museum is dedicated to Jeanne Mance and the project that gave birth to Montreal.
July 15, 1998
A plaque in honor of Jeanne Mance was installed on Le Royer Street West at the corner of Saint-Sulpice Street, on the site of the first Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal founded by Jeanne Mance. Jeanne Mance was declared a national historic figure in 1998.
2006
Throughout 2006, celebrations and special events were organized in Montreal and Langres by the Centre Jeanne-Mance, the Musée des Hospitalières de l’Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal, the Langres-Montréal-Québec Association – Centre culturel Jeanne-Mance and the Société historique et archéologique de Langres (SHAL) to mark the 400th anniversary of the birth of the founder of Montreal and the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal.
Among these, on April 12, 2006, a lecture by Jacques Lacoursière entitled Une cofondatrice de Montréal : Jeanne Mance [A Cofounder of Montreal: Jeanne Mance] was given at the Jeanne-Mance Auditorium of the Hôtel-Dieu as part of the Belles soirées of the Université de Montréal. This event organized by the Centre Jeanne-Mance became the starting point for the films of filmmaker Annabel Loyola. Like Jeanne Mance, but four centuries later, Annabel Loyola was born in Langres and immigrated to Montreal. This fact became the premise of her first film titled La folle entreprise (A Mad Venture), in the Footsteps of Jeanne Mance.
On Sunday, May 14, 2006, in memory of the founding of Montreal by Jeanne Mance and Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve, a Eucharist in homage to Jeanne Mance was celebrated at the Notre-Dame Basilica and was followed by a gathering at Place d’Armes, in Old Montreal.
On May 19 and 20, 2006, a conference entitled Soins des corps, soins des âmes. Médecine et assistance en France et en Nouvelle-France au XVIIe siècle [Care of the Body, Care of the Soul. Medicine and Assistance in France and New France in the 17th Century] was organized in Langres by the Société historique et archéologique de Langres (SHAL). Sixteen authors, including Sister Thérèse Payer, rhsj, participated.
On this occasion, a large delegation of Quebecers are present in Langres, including the Religious Hospitallers of Saint Joseph.
The symposium is followed by the inauguration of the Promenade de Montréal on the ramparts of Langres and the musical comedy Une femme d’exception, Jeanne Mance by Pascal Poinsenot, known as Paul Ermio, presented at the municipal theater of Langres. The proceedings of the symposium were collected by historian Georges Viard in a volume published in 2010 by SHAL.
On June 4, 2006, a celebration in tribute to Jeanne Mance was organized by the citizens of Jeanne-Mance Street in Montreal between Bernard and Van Horne Streets.
On September 30, 2006, a delegation of Citizens of Langres, members of the Langres-Montréal-Québec Association, made a trip to Quebec.
On November 12, 2006, the 400th anniversary of Jeanne Mance’s birth, the Langres-Montréal-Québec Association unveiled a plaque in her honor on Place Jeanne-Mance in Langres.
March 7, 2011
On the occasion of the Montreal release of the film La folle entreprise, sur les pas de Jeanne Mance (2010, 59 min) by Annabel Loyola scheduled for March 8, 2011, the City of Montreal initiates a process to officially recognize Jeanne Mance as the co-founder of Montreal. Historian Jacques Lacoursière is mandated by the City of Montreal to undertake this historical recognition process.
The launch event on March 8, 2011 is jointly organized by the Bureau du 375e, the City of Montreal, the CHUM, the Musée des Hospitalières de l’Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal and the filmmaker. This is the first documentary film dedicated to Jeanne Mance.
March 8, 2011
On the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day and as part of the process of recognizing Jeanne Mance as a co-founder of Montreal as mentioned above, the City of Montreal decides to initiate a series of recognition events that will honor women who have made remarkable contributions to the city’s development each year until Montreal’s 375th anniversary in 2017. On this occasion, Jeanne Mance receives the honorary title of Bâtisseuse de la Cité [Builder of the City]. She is thus the first woman to receive this honor.
May 17, 2012
Following a rigorous historical process led by historian Jacques Lacoursière, Jeanne Mance is officially proclaimed the founder of Montreal, equal to Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve. This proclamation comes on the day of Montreal’s 370th anniversary.
May 17, 2013
On the occasion of the 371st anniversary of the founding of Montreal, Jeanne Mance is designated a historical figure by the Conseil du patrimoine culturel du Québec.
2013
Langres researcher Geoffrey Duvoy discovered important documents relating to Jeanne Mance’s early life in the departmental archives of Haute-Marne, in Chaumont, Champagne. These documents made it possible to determine the exact location of Jeanne Mance’s birthplace in Langres, a previously unknown location.
November 7, 2014
At the end of a long process that began in 1943, Pope Francis authorized the publication of a decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Jeanne Mance during which she was declared Venerable by the Catholic Church. This was the first of three milestones that would allow her to achieve sainthood. On September 6, 2015, a Thanksgiving Mass was held at Notre-Dame Basilica for the recognition of Jeanne Mance’s venerability.
2017
The year 2017 marks the 375th anniversary of Montreal. It is also the 375th anniversary of the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal, integrated into the CHUM since 1996.
On April 7, 2017, filmmaker Annabel Loyola’s second documentary film, The Last Breath, was released in theaters. The Last Breath, at the Heart of the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal (72 min, 2017).
On May 9, 2017, the launch of the Jeanne-Mance Foundation chaired by Father Fernand Patry, former chaplain of the Hôtel-Dieu and the CHUM, was announced. The Jeanne-Mance Foundation’s mission is to provide spiritual support to people at the end of their lives at home and offers support, training and awareness.
On May 10, 2017, the Musée des Hospitalières de l’Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal inaugurates the temporary exhibition entitled Jeanne Mance (1606-1673). From France to New France.
On May 19, 2017, 250 people attended the event Montreal remembers… its founder Jeanne Mance at the Jeanne-Mance auditorium of the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal. This day of lectures followed by a friendly drink in the garden of the Religious Hospitallers of Saint Joseph of the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal is part of the “Rêver Montréal” project initiated by the Centre Le Pèlerin. This day was also an opportunity to pay tribute to Sister Thérèse Payer (photo opposite) in recognition of her dedication and all the years devoted to her mission as director of the Centre Jeanne-Mance and vice-postulator of the Cause of beatification.
On June 7, 2017, the City of Montreal acquired the property of the Religious Hospitallers of Saint Joseph, including the monastery and its outbuildings, the gardens, three chapels and the Musée des Hospitalières de l’Hôtel-Dieu. The new vocation mission of the site, renamed the Cité-des-Hospitalières, is living together.
On June 18, 2017, a mass is celebrated in the chapel of the Hospitallers on the occasion of the 344th anniversary of the death of Jeanne Mance.
On September 29, 2017, a study day devoted to Marie-Claire Daveluy entitled Marie-Claire Daveluy, the Montreal historian, writer and librarian, biographer of Jeanne Mance was organized by Johanne Biron, independent researcher, and Éric Leroux, associate professor at the Université de Montréal, at the Maison Bellarmin in Montreal.
On October 15, 2017, the Langres-Montréal-Québec Association unveiled a commemorative plaque on the birthplace of Jeanne Mance located at 11, rue Barbier d’Aucourt in Langres.
On November 5, 2017, the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal, the only Montreal institution of the same age as the city, closed its doors.
On November 6, 2017, Valérie Plante was elected mayor of Montreal. In her victory speech, she mentioned Jeanne Mance, saying: “375 years after Jeanne Mance, Montreal finally has its first female mayor!”.
On November 12, 2017, the birthday of Jeanne Mance, a show combining literature and music entitled “Hommage à Jeanne Mance” and produced by Productions Nahartma Inc. was presented at the Chapel of the Religious Hospitallers of Saint Joseph.
April 17, 2020
Jeanne Mance posthumously inducted into Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. The medal ceremony scheduled to take place in Vancouver, BC on April 17, 2020 was postponed twice due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was held virtually on April 29, 2021.
2023
The daily newspaper Le Devoir devotes a special section to Jeanne Mance on May 6, 2023.
A special program is organized at the Musée des Hospitalières de l’Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal from May 7 to June 18, 2023.
On Sunday, June 18, 2023, the Religious Hospitallers of Saint Joseph, in collaboration with the Sulpicians, solemnly mark this event with a Eucharistic celebration at the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal. Father Éric Sylvestre, priest of Saint-Sulpice, gives the homily. A fraternal meal brings together the Sulpicians, the Hospitallers and their guests in the garden of the Old Seminary of St-Sulpice.
A vast tour of film screenings and conferences is organized by filmmaker Annabel Loyola in 2022, 2023 and 2024 in Quebec, Ontario and France with her feature-length documentary City of a Dream (2022, 74 min) on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the death of Jeanne Mance. This film is the last part of a trilogy on Jeanne Mance and the founding of Montreal along with La folle entreprise (A Mad Venture), in the Footsteps of Jeanne Mance (2010, 59 min) and The Last Breath, at the Heart of the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal (2017, 72 min).
October 26, 2023
The Quebec Ministry of Culture and Communications publishes its notice of intent to classify the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal as a heritage site. The entire site was officially classified on October 28, 2024, with retroactive effect from November 1, 2023.