2146 Place Dublin

In Pointe-Saint-Charles, an important piece of Quebec’s heritage still stands: the Maison Saint-Gabriel, a historic home where many French-Canadian families—mine included—can trace an ancestor who once passed through its doors. Between 1663 and 1673, more than 800 young women, known as the Filles du Roi (King’s Daughters), were welcomed here by the Congregation of Notre-Dame, led by Marguerite Bourgeoys. With the support of the King of France, these women crossed the Atlantic to help populate New France, a colony then overwhelmingly settled by men.

At Maison Saint-Gabriel, the sisters offered these women shelter, practical education, and training in sewing, cooking, and farming—skills essential to life in the colony—until they married and established homes of their own. To provide a more suitable space, Marguerite Bourgeoys acquired this house and its surrounding farmland, expanding beyond her original mission site.

Marguerite Bourgeoys played a foundational role in the development of Montreal. In 1982, she became the first Canadian woman to be canonized, and her final resting place is at the Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours Chapel, next to the museum dedicated to her life and legacy.

Today, Maison Saint-Gabriel is recognized as a provincial and national historic site and operates as a museum, preserving and sharing this remarkable chapter of early Canadian history.

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