Responsible for the first school for girls in North America, Marie Guyart of the Incarnation (1599-1672) left an immeasurable legacy to Quebecois society and the world.
Blessed with significant spiritual experiences over the course of her life, she is considered a great mystic. Wife, mother, then widow, she proved to be an efficient businessperson before entering the Ursulines in Tours, France, in 1631.

Arriving in Quebec City on August 1, 1639, with two nuns and Marie-Madeleine de Chauvigny de La Peltrie, Marie of the Incarnation conceived a plan for her order’s first monastery in America. She supervised its construction in Upper Town.
A woman of many talents—outstanding teacher, excellent embroiderer, prolific letter writer and remarkable author—she also became a linguist, composing dictionaries in various Indigenous languages.

She died on April 30, 1672, and was interred in the Ursuline Monastery in Quebec City. The holiness of her life was attested to by the Church, which beatified her in 1980 and canonized her in 2014. She was also named a historic figure by the Quebec government in 2017.

To honor the occasion of the 350th anniversary of her death, a wide variety of activities will take place from April 30, 2022, to April 30, 2023. Suitable for an audience of all ages, the activities offer a better understanding of this prominent figure from our past.