Sainte-Marie among the Hurons
Sainte-Marie among the Hurons was a 17th century Jesuit mission on the shore of Georgian Bay, near what is now the community of Midland, Ontario.
The mission was established in 1625 by French Jesuits to Christianize the indigenous Huron people in the Georgian Bay area. It was the first non-aboriginal settlement in what is now the province of Ontario.
Eight missionaries from Sainte-Marie were killed in the 1640s in the subsequent Iroquois invasions of the area, including Father Jean de Brébeuf, one of the mission's founders, and are considered martyrs. They were canonized by the Roman Catholic Church in 1930. A nearby church, the Martyrs' Shrine, commemorates the eight saints.
A reconstruction of the old mission, which was burnt to the ground before it was abandoned in 1649, now operates as a living museum.
External links
Categories: Canada-related stubs | Ontario history | Living museums | Ontario museums