of the arrival of Marguerite Bourgeoys,
first educator in Ville-Marie
2003 marks the 350th anniversary of Marguerite Bourgeoys’ arrival on Canadian soil. She left France in 1653 with the 100 recruits, men who had come to Montreal to save the imperilled colony.
At the request of Sieur de Maisonneuve, Marguerite Bourgeoys agreed to set out for Canada and move to Ville-Marie, which later became Montreal. She left her homeland for good to provide support to the colonists and open the first school where she would teach the children of both the colonists and the Native People.
In 1658, Sieur de Maisonneuve gave Marguerite Bourgeoys a stone stable, which she cleaned up to welcome her first students on April 30 of that same year. Over the past three centuries, schools have multiplied in Montreal and throughout the St. Lawrence valley.
Marguerite Bourgeoys’ work was strongly influenced by the pedagogical views of Pierre Fourier, a 17th century pioneer of primary school instruction in France.
In the upcoming history columns, we will introduce several education masters to you. To be continued...