Venerable Jeanne Mance
Co-Founder of Montréal
Fonder of the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal
Venerable Jeanne Mance (1606–1673) was a French nurse and a pivotal settler of New France, officially recognized as the co-founder of Montreal and the founder of the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal, one of the first hospitals in North America. In November 2014, Pope Francis declared her Venerable, acknowledging her "heroic virtues" and advancing her cause toward sainthood within the Catholic Church.
On September 2, 1909, the Jeanne Mance statue was unveiled in front of the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal.
In 1909 it was the 250th anniversary of the arrival of the first three hospital sisters (1659).
In 1642, Jeanne Mance came specifically to establish Montreal's first hospital, Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal. The hospital operated at different location during the New France Era and moved to its present location in 1861.
In the statue, she is leaning forward, supporting a wounded colonist. It was created by the famous Canadian artist Louis-Philippe Hébert.
Her first statue, also by Hébert, is one of the statues in the Maisonneuve Monument, in Place d’Armes, dedicated on July 1, 1895.
Key Historical Contributions
Co-Founding Montreal: Arrived in 1642 alongside Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve to establish the missionary settlement of Ville-Marie.
Healthcare Pioneer: Established Canada's first hospital, L'Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal, in 1645.
First Lay Nurse: Provided direct medical care to settlers and Indigenous peoples without ever taking religious vows.
Financial Administrator: Managed the colony's finances, crossing the Atlantic Ocean seven times to secure funding and troops to save the settlement.
Medical Hall of Fame: Inducted posthumously into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 2020 for her legacy in healthcare.
The importance of Jeanne Mance’s contribution to the founding of Montréal was long underestimated. Despite her contemporaries recognizing her essential role in the founding of Montréal, it was not until May 17, 2012, after the city undertook steps to determine the extent of her contribution, that Jeanne Mance is proclaimed founder of Montréal along with Sieur de Maisonneuve.