Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery

Main article: List of cemeteries in Canada
Further information: Mount Royal

History

The Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery is a very big cemetery. It covers 139 hectares, or 340 acres. It is in the Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce area of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The cemetery started in 1854. It is along Côte-des-Neiges Road and near Mount Royal.

This cemetery is the largest in Canada for the number of people buried there. It is also the third-largest cemetery in North America. Many people are buried there, which makes it an important place in Montreal's history.

History and description

Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery was created when land was bought from Dr. Pierre Beaubien. It was built because the old Saint-Antoine Cemetery near present-day Dorchester Square was too small for Montreal’s growing population. The cemetery opened in 1854 and was designed to look like gardens in France. The first person buried there was Jane Gilroy McCready, who was 35 years old.

Today, Notre Dame des Neiges is the largest cemetery in Canada. It has over 55 kilometres of paths and more than one million people buried there. Many different groups of people are represented, showing their traditions on their gravestones. Nearby are other cemeteries, including the Mount Royal Cemetery, Shaar Hashomayim Cemetery, and Temple Emanu-El Cemetery. The cemetery was named a National Historic Site of Canada in 1998.

Because the cemetery is so big, finding a specific grave can be hard. To help, the cemetery now has a computer system that lets visitors find graves easily, either by using a touch screen at the cemetery or online.

War graves

There is a special area in the Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery for soldiers who served in World War I and World War II. This area connects to another cemetery nearby. There are special plaques and a cross to honor those who served their country. Some soldiers are remembered on a memorial in Pointe-Claire.

New mausoleums

Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery has many special buildings called mausoleums. Each mausoleum has places to honor people who have passed away, called crypts, and special sections for holding urns called columbaria. The first mausoleum, named Notre Dame for the Blessed Virgin Mary, was built in 1978. Over the years, more were added: John-Paul II in 1980, Saint-Francis in 1982, Marguerite-Bourgeoys in 1983, The Pietà in 1985, Saints Peter and Paul in 1989, Sainte Clare of Assisi in 1994, a two-storey building for Saint Marguerite d’Youville in 1996, and the latest one, Esther-Blondin, in 2007.

The Esther Blondin Mausoleum opened in November 2007. It is named after the founder of the Sisters of Saint Anne and has space for 6,000 crypts and niches.

Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery

Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery is a big burial ground in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was started in 1854 and covers a large area of 139 hectares, or 340 acres. The cemetery is the largest in Canada and one of the biggest in North America. It is near Mount Royal and along Côte-des-Neiges Road.

Notable interments

See also: Category:Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery

This cemetery is the resting place for many important people from Montreal and Canada. It includes people like René Angélil, the manager and husband of famous Canadian singer Céline Dion, and William H. Atherton, a writer and historian. Other notable individuals buried here are Raoul Barré, a cartoonist, and Jean-Louis Beaudry, an entrepreneur and politician.

The cemetery also holds the remains of prominent politicians, artists, athletes, and leaders who helped shape Montreal and Canada.