Maison Saint-Gabriel

This guide to Maison Saint-Gabriel in Montreal opens with a dispute over exactly when Marguerite Bourgeoys built this farmhouse, in 1668, and traces what happened when the original house burned down in 1693. It follows the young women sent from France, the filles du roi, who were sheltered here before marrying settlers between 1663 and 1673, under the care of a nun named Catherine Crolo. Look for the fieldstone foundation and stone creamery, the only pieces that survived the fire.