Saturday Snapshot

Saturday Snapshots is hosted by West Metro Mommy. 

September 2014 - Montreal Quebec

We were in Montreal last weekend and took some time to play tourist. We went down to Old Montreal on a gorgeous fall day.

Click here for some yummy photos.

We came upon some sculptures and upon investigation found out that it is the second year of an exhibition asking what would some famous Montreals such as Jean Drapeau, Louis Cyr and Marguerite Bourgeoys read if they were in our world today? 

We didn't notice the books at first on this statue until we go up closer. It would be fun to see all the statues taking part and guess what they might be reading.

So for fun, I checked out the Scotiabank Giller long list of best Canadian 2014 fiction and chose some books for these historic figures based strictly on the title of the book. Feel free to add your own suggestions.

This is a monument in memory of Paul de Chomedey, founder of Montreal. Created by artist Louis-Philippe Hébert, it commemorates Chomedey's defense of the young French settlement against the Iroquois, against whom de Maisonneuve's allies the Hurons were fighting. 

Foundations from the original Notre-Dame Church lie under the square. Check back tomorrow for photos of the church.

Chomedy might be reading Waiting For The Man.

Lambert Closse (1618 - 1662) was a merchant when he disembarked at Ville-Marie, Nouvelle-France in 1647.

His exact date of birth is unknown, however, he was born in Mogues in the Ardennes department of today's northern France.

He became a public notary, as well as Sergeant Major of the garrison of Ville-Marie. He is most known for his work in fighting the Iroquois and exhibiting combat tactics that allowed him to win many fights during his time. He met his wife, Elisabeth Moyen, while rescuing her from the Iroquois in 1657.

Jeanne Mance (November 12, 1606 – June 18, 1673) was a French nurse and settler of New France. She arrived in New France two years after the Ursuline Nuns came to Quebec. Among the founders of Montreal in 1642, she established its first hospital, the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal, in 1645. She returned twice to France to seek financial support for the hospital. After providing most of the care directly for years, in 1657 she recruited three sisters of the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph, and continued to direct operations of the hospital.

Jeanne Mance - The Girl Who Was Saturday Night.

Iroquis -  The Betrayers

Unfortunately it was almost noon and this statue was in the shadows. It depicts Marguerite Bourgeoys, C.N.D., was the French foundress of the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal in the colony of New France, now part of Canada. She lived in Fort Ville-Marie (now Montreal) as of 1653, educating young girls, the poor, and natives until her death at the turn of the 18th century. She is also significant for developing one of the first uncloistered religious communities in the Catholic Church. She has been declared a saint by the Catholic Church.



The high school I went to was taught by CND nuns and their habits, and our uniforms mimicked the collar shown on Bourgeoys above.

Marguerite might be reading All My Puny Sorrows.

I really loved this statue of Drapeau as he was mayor of Montreal when I was growing up and brought the subway (metro) and Expo 67 along with many other events.

Standing calmly in Place de la Dauversière opposite City Hall is a monument to Jean Drapeau (1916-1999), lawyer, politician, and mayor of Montréal 1954 to 1957 and 1960 to 1986 - a record 29 years. Flamboyant and often controversial, Drapeau oversaw many pivotal events in Montréal including the inauguration of Place des Arts, Expo 67, the 1976 Olympic Games and the construction of the metro. The larger than life figure of the former mayor strikes a welcoming pose as he greets visitors to “his” Hôtel de Ville across the street. Annick Bourgeau carefully studied photographs of Mr. Drapeau and she has succeeded in capturing him in a very characteristic pose with his hands gesturing. Those hands frequently clutch flowers - even beer bottles - placed there by some of the many passers-by who seem unable to resist photographing him. On January 1st, 2009, someone placed a champagne bottle between those hands!
Jean's book - Us Conductors