article

Ville-Marie (Colony)

Article by Dale Miquelon

Updated by Clayton Ma

Published Online February 7, 2006

Last Edited December 16, 2013

Ville-Marie was a French colony founded on 17 May 1642 on the Island of Montreal by the Société Notre-Dame de Montréal to bring Christianity to local Indigenous peoples. The colony was located in a key region for the development of agriculture and the fur trade. The colony became the modern-day city of Montreal.

Ville-Marie (Colony)

The colony was settled under the leadership of Jeanne Mance and Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve. Assisted by recruits sent in 1653 and again in 1659, the little colony sank its roots and withstood Haudenosaunee incursions. (See Iroquois Wars.) In 1663, it was taken over by the Seminary of St. Sulpice in Paris, which already supplied its priests.

See also Missions and Missionaries.

Recommended

Article
Société Notre-Dame de Montréal
Place d'Armes, Montreal
Article
Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve
Article
Jeanne Mance
Samuel de Champlain supervises the building of his habitation of Québec, 1608
Article
Population Settlement of New France

Help students and educators this school year!

The Canadian Encyclopedia is a project of Historica Canada, a non-profit, nonpartisan organization devoted to teaching Canadians more about our shared country. Last school year, over 13 million people used The Canadian Encyclopedia as a trusted resource. Nearly 5 million of those users were students and teachers. Please donate today to help even more Canadians access free, impartial, fact-checked, regularly updated information about Canada’s history and culture in both official languages. All donations above $3 will receive a tax receipt.

Donate