Masson-Angers in Gatineau in Outaouais, Québec — Central Canada (French-Canadian)
Les Servantes de Jésus-Marie
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 26, 2024
1. Les Servantes de Jésus-Marie Marker
17, rue des Servantes
Il peut sembler surprenant qu'une communauté de religieuses contemplatives cloîtrées, les Servantes de Jésus-Marie, soit apparue au cœur d'un village ouvrier comme Masson. C'est de la rencontre de deux êtres à la spiritualité profonde, Éléonore Potvin et Alexis Mangin, que naît l'œuvre au début des années 1890. Alors que l'abbé Mangin cherche une ménagère pour son presbytère, une jeune femme pieuse frappe à sa porte. Éléonore est de retour dans son patelin après une tentative d'entrer au couvent qui a échoué en raison de sa santé fragile. Voyant sa dévotion, l'abbé l'invite à former une communauté de femmes qui prendront officiellement l'habit en 1895. Des débuts dans une étable derrière l'église, les Servantes ouvrent un petit couvent. De quatre, elles passent à 25 en moins de trois ans. Réalisant qu'un village ne peut les soutenir, elles déménagent à Aylmer en 1898, puis à Hull.
La grotte de la victoire
Parc de l'église
Sur ce site, la paroisse construisit une grotte à Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes entre 1943 et 1944. Elle fut bénie le 21 mai
this page online
The Servants of Jesus and Mary
The House of the Servants of Jesus and Mary
17, Servants Street
It might seem surprising that a community of cloistered contemplative nuns, the Servants of Jesus and Mary, would appear in the heart of a working-class village like Masson. The work was born in the early 1890s from the meeting of two deeply spiritual people, Éléonore Potvin and Alexis Mangin. While Father Mangin was looking for a housekeeper for his parish, a young pious woman knocked on his door. Éléonore was back in her hometown after a failed attempt to join a convent due to her fragile health. Seeing her devotion, the priest invited her to form a community of women who would officially take the habit in 1895. Starting out in a stable behind the church, the Servants opened a small convent. From four members, they grew to 25 in less than three years. Realizing that a village couldn't support them, they moved to Aylmer in 1898, then to Hull.
The Victory Grotto
Church Park
On
Courtesy Ville de Gatineau, Circuit pédestre — Masson, plaque tournante du bois.
2. Marker detail: La maison des Servantes de Jésus-Marie.
The House of the Servants of Jesus and Mary.
Erected by Ville de Gatineau, Québec, Entente de développement culturel.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Religion & Religious Structures • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1890.
Location. 45° 32.643′ N, 75° 25.18′ W. Marker is in Gatineau, Québec, in Outaouais. It is in Masson-Angers. It is on Rue Donat-Saint-Amour just east of Chemin de Montréal Est (Québec Route 148), on the right when traveling east. The marker is on the north side of Saint Amour Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3 Rue Donat-Saint-Amour, Gatineau QC J8M 1B6, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Ottawa Metropolitan Area and in the Outaouais & Eastern Townships. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Great North Woods, the Western Hemisphere, and the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Rupert’s Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Église et dévotion à Masson (a few steps from this marker); Le commerce de proximité à Masson (within shouting distance of this marker); Sentier Jean-Lapointe (1913-1977) (within shouting distance of this marker);
Photographed by Service du tourisme de l'Office provincial de publicité
3. Marker detail: La grotte est décorée des statues de Sainte-Bernadette et de la Sainte Vierge.
The cave is decorated with statues of Saint Bernadette and the Virgin Mary.
Also see . . . Monastery, Servantes de Jésus-Marie Congregation (Canada Register of Historic Places).
Excerpt: The Servantes de Jésus-Marie (the Servantes) was the only female religious community founded in the Outaouais region. Their monastery in Gatineau is tangible evidence of the establishment and growth of numerous female religious orders in Canada during the 20th century, particularly less common orders, such as that of the Servantes, dedicated to the contemplation and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (adoration of the consecrated Host). The monastery in Gatineau was the motherhouse of this cloistered order that received novices and guided them on their spiritual path(Submitted on June 18, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)toward their perpetual vows, and housed a number of functions, such as printing, binding and shoe repair services. In addition, the Servantes contributed to the local economy and to spiritual life by making the communion wafers for churches and schools and by offering parish services. The Monastery and its 1926 and 1950 additions show the growth of the order in connection with the development of the “Lower Village” of Hull during the first half of the 20th century. Furthermore, this monastery remains, at the time of its designation, the only building that has retained its vocation as a monastery of the Servantes de Jésus-Marie among the seven monasteries founded by the congregation over the years.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 26, 20244. Les Servantes de Jésus-Marie MarkerThe Servantes de Jésus-Marie Congregation Monastery is located on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River in the Hull sector of Gatineau. The Monastery is a red-brick, three-story convent complex with a flat roof and a basement. Built in three phases between 1911 and 1950, the Monastery, with a U-shape plan, has four wings — Sacré-Cœur, Saint-Joseph, Sainte-Marie and Saints-Anges — surrounding a central courtyard.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 18, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 17, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 8 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 18, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
