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3. Women's History Month

Women's History Month 2011

Biography of Jeanne Mance

Photo credit: Library and Archives Canada/Credit: Ken Bell/PA-128225

Name: Jeanne Mance
Date: 1606-1673
Role: Nurse
Canadian Military Contribution: Canada's first unofficial war nurse

Jeanne Mance was a deeply religious and selfless woman whose life work focused on health care and religion. Born in France in 1606, she was one of the first women settlers in Canada, having already faced the hardships of the Thirty Years War in her homeland. She came to Canada in 1641, among the first settlers in what is now Montréal.

Jeanne is famous for being a founder of Montréal and of the Hôtel-Dieu hospital, which she operated in her home in 1642 until the facility was built in 1645. As conflict with the Iroquois First Nations continued and escalated, Jeanne tended to the wounded, both European and some Aboriginal injured alike, becoming Canada's first unofficial war nurse.

In 1657, Jeanne lost the use of her arm in a fall. The depth of her faith is evident in the fact that after she applied a religious relic to her injured arm, she believed it was healed, and was able to continue her work at the hospital.

The last 10 years of her life were spent in retirement, and she remained devoted to her faith. Jeanne died in Montréal.

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Date Modified:

2011-10-03