Maisonneuve Monument
The Maisonneuve Monument is a sculpture by Louis-Philippe Hébert, built in 1895 in Place d’Armes in Montreal, Quebec, in eastern Canada. It commemorates Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, the founder of Montreal, and was unveiled on July 1, 1895, as part of the celebrations for Montreal’s 250th anniversary in 1892. By 1896, the imposing monument at the center of Place d’Armes had attracted many curious visitors. During the 1890s, commemorative plaques were established for the first time in Montreal, and the project was supported by the Antiquarian and Numismatic Society. The Montreal Historical Society also erected an obelisk in 1892/93 in memory of the city’s founders.
© Nicolas Leboeuf · CC BY-SA 3.0
September 2016 © Ken Lund · CC BY-SA 2.0
© Detroit Publishing Company · Public domain
May 2013 © Denis-Carl Robidoux · CC BY-SA 3.0
April 1879 © Eugene Haberer · Public domain
Identification | |
| Title | Maisonneuve Monument |
| Other name | Monument to Maisonneuve |
| Original-language name | Das Maisonneuve-Denkmal |
| Type | monument and fountain |
| French title | Monument à Maisonneuve |
Historical context | |
| Subject | Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, founder of Montreal |
| Purpose | Commemorates the founding of Montreal and the city's founder |
| Commission context | Publicly commissioned for the 250th anniversary of the founding of Montreal in 1642 |
| Competition | Public competition organized in 1891 |
| Earlier proposal | A monument to the founder of the city was first proposed in 1879, but it was not realized |
Creator | |
| Artist | Louis-Philippe Hébert |
Discovery and provenance | |
| Municipal adoption | The project was adopted by the municipal council of Montreal under Mayor James McShane |
| Project development | Hébert was approached to submit designs; he was very busy at the time |
History and restoration | |
| Unveiling context | Unveiled as part of the celebrations for Montreal's 250th anniversary |
| Restoration | Major restoration by the City of Montreal began in 2009 as part of the redevelopment of Place d'Armes, in partnership with the Quebec Ministry of Culture, Communications and the Status of Women; the basin and statues were to be restored, with completion expected in summer 2011 |
| Work period | Work began in 1892 and took three years to complete |
| Unveiling date | 1 July 1895 |
| Casting location | Paris |
| Casting foundry | Thiébaut Frères |
Location and ownership | |
| Location | Centre of Place d'Armes, Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Setting | In the middle of a water basin at Place d'Armes |
Physical characteristics | |
| Inscriptions | Two quotations are inscribed on the pedestal |
| Fountain details | Water flows from the mouths of four mascarons on all four sides at the bottom |
| Bas-reliefs | Four bas-reliefs between the figures representing historical scenes |
| Main figure clothing | Wide hat with an upturned brim, tunic, trousers, and high boots with folded cuffs |
| Smaller figures | Jeanne Mance, Lambert Closse, Charles Le Moyne, and an Iroquois |
| Corner figures | Four crouching figures placed at the corners, looking toward the four directions |
| Smaller statue height | 1.5 meters each |
| Main figure | Maisonneuve standing above the pedestal, proudly holding a flag in his right hand and a sword in his left hand |
| Basin radius | 4.7 meters |
| Basin shape | Four semicircles |
| Pedestal form | High rectangular pedestal with a square column |
| Central statue height | 4 meters |
| Overall height | 9 meters |
| Composition | Several bronze figures on a concrete pedestal, surrounded by a water basin |
Iconography and meaning | |
| Second inscription | A quotation repeating Father Vimont's words spoken during the first mass |
| First inscription | A quotation recalling Maisonneuve's words to M. de Montmagny |
| Bas-relief scenes | The signing of the city founding contract in Meudon; the first Holy Mass on 18 May 1642; the heroic death of Adam Dollard des Ormeaux in a battle against the Iroquois in 1660; a symbolic representation of the heroic era |
| Charles Le Moyne | Noble officer |
| Lambert Closse | First commander of the city militia |
| Jeanne Mance | Founder of the first hospital |
Significance | |
| Reception in 1896 | The imposing monument in the center of Place d'Armes attracted many curious onlookers |
| Commemorative context | Part of a broader commemoration of the personalities of New France |
| Cultural context | French- and English-speaking Montrealers found common ground in remembering figures of New France, while each cultural group emphasized its own heroes |
| Related commemorative activity | In the 1890s, commemorative plaques were established for the first time in Montreal by the Antiquarian and Numismatic Society |
| Institutional role | The Antiquarian and Numismatic Society played an active role in the construction project of the monument |
| Related monument | In 1892-93, the Montreal Historical Society erected an obelisk in memory of Montreal's founders |
| Design history | An early design proposed Maisonneuve with allegorical figures at the four corners; these were later suggested to be replaced by historical characters |