Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel and Marguerite Bourgeoys Museum

Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel and Marguerite Bourgeoys Museum (Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours et Musée Marguerite-Bourgeoys) is at 400 rue St-Paul Est in Old Montréal (M: Champs-de-Mars). The remains of Marguerite Bourgeoys, founder of the first uncloistered congregation of women in the New World, are under the left side altar. Artifacts, some as old as 2,000 years, relate the story of Montréal. The museum also has the highest lookout point accessible to the public in Old Montréal and provides breathtaking panoramas of the river and the harbor. The archeological site under the nave of the present chapel displays the foundation of the 17th-century chapel and also traces the 1709 stockade around Montréal and shows 2,000-year-old Amerindian fire pits. During Marguerite's lifetime, the congregation included French, French-speaking Canadien, Amerindian and New England Colonies' women. On this site in 1655 Marguerite Bourgeoys involved all Montréal's citizens in the construction of a chapel of pilgrimage dedicated to the Virgin Mary. After many difficulties and delays, Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel, the first stone church in Montréal, was erected in 1675. It was destroyed by fire in 1754; the present chapel was built in 1771 and became known as the Sailor's Church. Visits to the archeological site are restricted to groups of 10 people or less and require a guide. Guided tours are available. Time: Allow 30 minutes minimum.