Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal |
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 Location in Montreal
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| Geography | |
| Location | 3840, rue Saint-Urbain Montreal, Quebec H2W 1T8 |
| Coordinates | 45°30′53″N 73°34′44″W / 45.514587°N 73.578937°W |
| Organisation | |
| Affiliated university | Université de Montréal Faculty of Medicine |
| History | |
| Founded | October 8, 1645 |
| Closed | November 5, 2017 (as an active hospital) |
The Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal was the very first hospital built in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It opened its doors way back in 1645!
The name Hôtel-Dieu means "Hotel of God" in old French. This name shows that hospitals often started as religious places.
This hospital stopped being a regular emergency hospital in 2017. By 2020, it was used as a COVID-19 testing site during the COVID-19 pandemic in Montreal.
Contents
A Look Back: Hospital History
The story of the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal began in 1642. That's when Paul Chomedey and other French settlers arrived. They came to the Island of Montreal to start a new colony called Ville-Marie.
Jeanne Mance: Hospital Founder
Among the first settlers was Jeanne Mance. She was the very first nurse in New France. Jeanne Mance founded the hospital on October 8, 1645. King Louis XIV of France officially approved it in 1669.
Jeanne Mance even went back to France to get money for the hospital. In 1657, she brought three sisters from a group called the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph. These nuns joined her as staff at the hospital. Their group was started in France in 1636.
Building and Growth
A missionary named Guillaume Bailly helped design the hospital's stone building. It was built in 1688.
Sadly, the hospital burned down and was rebuilt three times. This happened between 1695 and 1734. After the British took over New France, it was the only hospital in Montreal that spoke French for 200 years.
Around 1850, the hospital joined with the Montreal School of Medicine and Surgery. It kept growing bigger. In 1861, it moved from Old Montreal to its current spot near Mount Royal. The hospital also had a nursing school from 1901 to 1970.
Becoming Part of CHUM
In 1996, the Hôtel-Dieu became one of three hospitals. They formed the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM). The other two were the Hôpital Notre-Dame and the Hôpital Saint-Luc.
A new, very large CHUM hospital was finished in 2017. It was built next to Hôpital Saint-Luc. On November 5, 2017, patients from Hôtel-Dieu moved to this new building.
The Hôtel-Dieu was supposed to close. But it stayed open as a large urgent care clinic until 2020.
Recent Use
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Montreal, the old hospital found a new purpose. It became one of Montreal's biggest testing sites for COVID-19.
Today, the site also has a museum. You can visit it to learn about the hospital's long and interesting history.
Amazing Medical Discoveries
Over its many years, the Hôtel-Dieu saw many important medical achievements. Here are some of them:
- In 1868, the world's first kidney removal surgery happened here.
- In 1872, the world's first removal of a tongue and jaw took place.
- In 1959, the first femur (thigh bone) transplant was done.
- In 1979, the first patient with AIDS in Canada was identified here.
- In 1981, a person with severe burns on 90% of their body made a full recovery. This was a world first!
- In 1993, the world's first robotically assisted laparoscopic surgery happened. This means a robot helped with a surgery using tiny cuts.
Images for kids
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The Hôtel-Dieu campus seen from Mount Royal.
