For other uses of this and similar names, see Ville-Marie

Ville-Marie

Ville-Marie may refer to:*Ville-Marie, Quebec, a town in Quebec*Fort Ville-Marie, the original name for the settlement that later became Montreal, Quebec*Ville-Marie, Montreal, a borough of Montreal.- See also :*Autoroute Ville-Marie,*Place Ville-Marie,...

.

Fort Ville-Marie was a fortress outpost of France in North America. It is the historic nucleus around which the original settlement of Montreal

Old Montreal

Old Montreal is the oldest area in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, dating back to New France. Located in the borough of Ville-Marie, the area is bordered on the west by McGill St., on the north by Ruelle des Fortifications, on the east by Berri St. and on the south by the Saint Lawrence River...

 grew.

Given its importance, the site of the fort was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1924.

Overview

Samuel de Champlain

Samuel de Champlain

Samuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....

 built a temporary fort in 1611. Champlain established a fur

Fur

Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...

 trading post

Trading post

A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....

 where present-day Pointe-à-Callière stands as part of a project to create a French colonial empire

French colonial empire

The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...

. He and his crew spent a few weeks clearing a site that he named "Place Royale," dug two gardens and planted seed that grew well, confirming that the soil was fertile. In 1613, Samuel de Champlain

Samuel de Champlain

Samuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....

 returned at "Place Royale" and Sault-au-Récollet

Sault-au-Récollet

Sault-au-Récollet is a neighbourhood in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough, in the city of Montreal. It is located at the eastern edge of the borough...

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The permanent fort was built in 1642 by the Société de Notre-Dame de Montréal on the Island of Montreal

Island of Montreal

The Island of Montreal , in extreme southwestern Quebec, Canada, is located at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. It is separated from Île Jésus by the Rivière des Prairies....

. The first governor

Governor of Montreal

The Governor of Montreal was the highest position in Montreal in the 17th century and the 18th century. Prior to the establishment of the 1663 Sovereign Council, the governor of Montreal was appointed by the Société Notre-Dame de Montréal...

 was Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve

Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve

Paul de Chomedey, sieur de Maisonneuve was a French military officer and the founder of Montreal.- Early career :...

. In the first years, the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal

Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal

The Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal is the oldest hospital in Montreal, Quebec. Since 1996 it has been one of the three hospitals making up the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal ....

 was hosted inside the fort.

The fort was in use between 1642-1674 and was demolished in 1688. Louis-Hector de Callière

Louis-Hector de Callière

Louis-Hector de Callière or Callières was a French politician, who was the governor of Montreal , and the governor of New France from 1698 to 1703. He played an important role in defining the strategy that New France followed during the Queen Anne's War.De Callière was born in Thorigny-sur-Vire,...

residence was built on this place in 1695.