This is the third in a series of articles about public sculpture in Old Montréal. This time, I’ve selected some well known commemorative works. Instead of reproducing the entire monument, I’ve chosen a few details which you may or may not recognize. See if you can identify where they come from before you read the answer in the text!
Where is this plaque commemorating the Godé-Gadois family, ancestors of Hillary Clinton?
THE FIRST SETTLERS
J.-A.-U. Baudry, Monument aux Pionniers, 1893, stone
On Place d’Youville, a stone obelisk commemorates the foundation of the city close to this spot in 1642. The monument was erected by the Société historique de Montréal to celebrate the city’s 250th birthday. One of the plaques on the north side of the obelisk lists the names of the colonists who came between May and December of 1642. There were more than 50 of them, mainly male, but there was one family - Nicolas Godé, his wife Françoise Gadois, and their three children - Françoise, Nicolas and Mathurine (photo 1). One wonders what these children thought of their new home especially when winter arrived. Their father was killed in 1657 by the Iroquois but their mother lived to be 100 years old! Among other people, Hillary Clinton claims to be descended from this family (it’s amazing what you can discover on the internet!).
To whom does this scarred face belong?
FRENCH NAVAL HERO
Paul-Eugène Benet, Jean Vauquelin, 1930, bronze on stone pedestal
In Place Vauquelin just west of City Hall, there is a monument honouring Jean Vauquelin (1728-72) who commanded the French navy in the St. Lawrence during the Seven Years’ War (1756-63). Vauquelin is shown valiantly fighting to the last after he had run out of ammunition and his ship had run aground near Québec City. His scarred face shows all the tragedy of the end of New France which was to come (photo 2). The monument was erected after a fund-raising campaign by the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste - no doubt in reaction to Nelson across the street (see below). The Canadian Government gave a replica of this monument to the City of Dieppe, Vauquelin’s home town, in 1930.
Whose monument is decorated with this crocodile?
BRITISH NAVAL HERO
Robert Mitchell, Horatio Nelson, 1809, stone on column
At the north end of Place Jacques-Cartier on Rue Notre-Dame (and across the street from Vauquelin), a monument of Horatio Nelson (1758-1805), vanquisher of Napoleon at the Battle of Trafalgar, stands on top of a 15-metre-high column. Erected in 1809 after a public subscription, it is Montréal’s oldest monument. Engravings on its sides commemorate Nelson’s other great naval victories including the Battle of the Nile (or Aboukir Bay) in 1798 which is represented by a crocodile (photo 3). It’s interesting to note that this was the first time that Lord Nelson was placed on top of a column. The monument in Trafalgar Square, London, dates from 1842.
Whose monument includes this mythological figure?
FATHER OF THE PORT
Louis-Philippe Hébert, John Young, 1908, bronze on stone pedestal
In front of the Allan Building on Rue de la Commune at Saint-Pierre, a statue commemorates John Young (1811-78), first Chairman of the Port Commission and responsible for enlarging and developing the port, notably the land reclamation which means that today this spot is far from the water's edge. Louis-Philippe Hébert sculpted the monument which has at its base the figure of Neptune beside a fountain (photo 4). Neptune is there to symbolically represent the St. Lawrence River and he seems far more lifelike than the rather grim representation of John Young above him. The monument was relocated on this spot in 1997 from its original position on Pointe-à-Callière.
On whose monument is this dog to be found?
FOUNDER OF THE CITY
Louis-Philippe Hébert, Paul Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve, 1895, bronze on stone pedestal
Montréal’s most heroic monument stands in the centre of Place d’Armes. Unveiled in 1895 and the work of Louis-Philippe Hébert once again, the monument honours the founder of the city, Paul Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve (1612- 76). Born in La Flêche in the Loire valley, Maisonneuve was 28 when he left France in 1641 to found Ville-Marie. He is shown holding the standard of France aloft. Around the base of his monument are other people important in the city’s early history. They include Lambert Closse who has by his side his famous dog, Pilote (photo 5). Ville-Marie was frequently subject to attack by Iroquois warriors (one is portrayed on the monument). On such occasions, Pilote often saved the day by barking loudly when he sensed the Iroquois approaching thus warning the settlers working in the fields to run for safety behind the wooden palisade.
Photos : Fiana Malins
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