Place d’Armes — Attraction in Montreal

"The Maisonneuve Monument is a bronze statue located in Place d'Armes in Old Montreal, dedicated to Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, the founder of Montreal. The monument was unveiled on July 1, 1895, as part of the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the city's founding in 1642. It was created by sculptor Louis-Philippe Hébert and stands on a concrete pedestal with a square column, surrounded by a water basin formed of four half-circles. The central statue of Maisonneuve, measuring 4 meters in height, depicts him in a proud stance, holding the flag of the king of France in his right hand and resting his left hand on the pommel of his sword.

At the base of the column, four smaller bronze statuary groups represent key figures in Montreal's founding history. On the southwest side is Jeanne Mance (1606–73), the first lay nurse in North America and founder of the Hôtel-Dieu hospital; she is portrayed bandaging a child's hand. On the southeast side is Raphaël-Lambert Closse (1618–62), major of the garrison and governor’s lieutenant, shown alert and holding his dog Pilotte in the crook of his arm. On the northeast side is Charles Le Moyne (1626–85), a colonist responsible for the security of Ville-Marie, depicted with a sickle and a gun symbolizing survival. On the northwest side is an anonymous Iroquois warrior, reflecting the sculptor’s inspiration from the Jesuit Relations.

Between these groups, four bas-reliefs depict significant events in Montreal’s early history. The south face shows the signing of the foundation act of Ville-Marie in Meudon, France. The west face illustrates Maisonneuve facing an Iroquois chief and army on the site of Place d'Armes. The north face portrays the heroic death of Adam Dollard des Ormeaux and his companions at Long Sault. The east face depicts the first mass celebrated by Father Barthélémy Vimont upon the founders’ arrival on May 17, 1642.

The monument also features four bronze water spouts at the base, each topped with a mythical mask inspired by Bacchus, symbolizing the environment of the people depicted. Three masks incorporate elements from the plant and animal kingdoms—horn, fish, and ram—while the fourth is adorned with an animal pelt, fox head, feather, quiver, and tomahawk, representing the Aboriginal world. The entire monument, including the architectural elements designed by architects Mesnard and Venne, stands...

We paid over $1000 for a Saturday night in October for a King Deluxe room. On check-in the desk staff was unfriendly, unwelcoming and curt. We have to walk through several buildings and go up and down several sets of stairs to finally get to our elevator!!! The room we finally got to was extremely small and uncomfortable, with no room for the furniture so that the only chair had to be placed sideways under the television and we could not walk by! There was nowhere to unpack (one tiny drawer) and no drawers or decent storage in the bathroom, so our suitcases had to remain open. This was absolutely NOT a deluxe room! It was so bad that we changed our 3-day stay to 1 day and moved to another very nice hotel in Old Montreal - William Gray, which was so much better and cheaper! People at check-in and throughout the hotel, were lovely and they were so pleasant, polite and welcoming. We will never stay at Place D'Armes again, and do NOT...

The busy square of Place d'Armes is very much in the city center. The twin towers of Notre-Dame Basilica front the public space, as does the historic Bank of Montreal and its small museum. The Old Seminary of Saint Sulpice, adjoining the Basilica, dates from 1685.

Place d'Armes is a key piece of Montreal, historically and aesthetically speaking. It is the oldest stone dwelling in a city where originally most buildings were constructed more cheaply and simply in timber.

History is everywhere- At its center is a majestic Gothic fountain, a beautiful monument to Paul de Chomedey, the French military officer who founded Montreal. and it’s surrounded by what seems like a “best of” Montreal monuments: Notre-Dame Basilica, the Saint-Sulpice Seminary, and the majestic Aldred building, an Art Deco icon built in 1931 for the New York-based Aldred & Company. The 23-story, tiered building has been called Canada's answer to the Empire...