Visit cemeteries to learn about our history.

Les Jardins du Souvenir administers 14 Roman Catholic cemeteries in the Diocese of Gatineau. Established in 1978 as a non-profit organization, the Jardins du Souvenir is represented by Archbishop Durocher and is administered by a governing board.

The cemeteries cover an area of 75 acres of wooden and well-appointed land. They are well known for their peaceful beauty where tranquility, respect and serenity prevail. They have been chosen as the final resting place for thousands of Western Quebec families for over 165 years.

The cemeteries are a quiet refuge in the heart of the city. They serve as a haven of serenity for those who wish to reflect on the passing of loved ones as well as a sacred place for citizens who are passionate and knowledgeable about the history of our community.

The St-François-de-Sales Cemetery located on St-Louis Street (Gatineau sector) and St-Paul Cemetery on Aylmer Road (Aylmer sector) are the oldest cemeteries, established in 1840. They were followed by the Notre-Dame Cemetery, established in 1872, located on Fournier Boulevard (Hull sector), the St-Redempteur Cemetery, established 1914, on Cité-des-Jeunes Boulevard (Hull sector), the St-Jean-Marie Vianney Cemetery, established 1929, on Labrosse Boulevard (Gatineau sector) the St-Alexandre Cemetery, established in 1960, on Chemin des Érables (Gatineau sector), Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery (Buckingham), L'Ange-Gardien cemetery, St-Fidèle cemetery (Fasset), the cemetery of Poltimore and St-Antoine-de-Padoue.

The cemeteries are the final resting place for many public figures:

• Andrew Leamy, pioneer and donor of the land for the Notre-Dame Cemetery;
• Msgr. Adolphe Proulx, buried at the Notre Dame Cemetery;
• The Maloney family who donated land for the St-Jean-Marie Vianney; Cemetery;
• Father Eugene Joseph Labrosse, who left his name to Labrosse blvd.;
• Joseph Pilon, forestry industry entrepreneur;
• Alexandre Taché, former Member of the Legislative Assembly for Hull;
• Actress, writer and critic Laurette Larocque, better known under her artist name, Jean Després (1906-1965);
• Founder of the Rally for the Rassemblement pour l'independance nationale, Marcel Chaput (1918-1991);
• Father Louis-étienne Reboul (1827-1877), founder of the City of Hull Parish;
• Actor and Director René Provost (1903-1966), Father of Actor Guy Provost;
• Pianist and poet Clara Lanctot (1886-1958);
• Match maker Donalda Charron (1886-1967) who led the famous strike of "faiseuses d'allumettes/match makers " at the EB Eddy factory in 1924;
• Marcelline Dumais (1850-1916), owner of the house where started the Great Fire of Hull in 1900;
• Marie-Therese Archambault (1904-1960), first lay woman to earn a doctorate in philosophy in North America in 1932 and heroic defender of the French language in 1917;
• Painter Jean Alie (1925-1997);
• Several other well-known personalities

Did you know that …

• the first cremator in the region was owned by Les Jardins du Souvenir, and it was in service from 1979 to 1995, after which two other cremators took over?
• of the two others that took over, one was in use from 1995 to 2013 and the other (and latest) went into service in 2013?
• the entrance portal of Notre-Dame Cemetery, built in 1882, is made of carved stone according to the plans of Hull architect Charles Brodeur?
• the consecration of the first columbarium in the Outaouais was conducted at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 6, 1983 by Mgr. Adolphe Proulx, second Bishop of the Diocese of Gatineau?
• the first burials in Notre-Dame Cemetery of Hull took place in 1872?
• the Angel of Death sounding the trumpet of the last judgment, the statue atop the entrance portal to the Cemetery, was produced in 1902 by Quebec sculptor Arthur Vincent?
• cremation, previously prohibited by the Catholic Church, was accepted by Pope Paul VI in 1964, since which time over 80% of people in the Outaouais have opted for this mode of disposition?
• administration of Notre-Dame Cemetery of Hull was the responsibility of the Oblate Fathers of Mary Immaculate from the beginning until 1978?
• Mgr. Adolphe Proulx, the incumbent bishop, died in 1987 at the age of 56 and is buried in Notre-Dame Cemetery?
• the caretaker of Notre-Dame Cemetery of Hull, Mr. Roland Desjardins, lived with his family in the caretaker’s house, built in 1915?
• it was under the management of Mgr. Adolphe Proulx that five of the six cemeteries currently administered by Les Jardins du Souvenir were assembled under the name of the consolidated Roman Catholic cemeteries of Hull?
• Saint-François de Sales and Saint-Paul cemeteries opened in 1840, but Saint-Alexandre cemetery opened just in 1960?
• actress, writer and critic Laurette Larocque, better known as Jean Despréz, has rested in Notre-Dame Cemetery of Hull since 1965, and the founder of the Rassemblement pour l’indépendance nationale, Marcel Chaput, was buried there in 1991?
• Father Louis-Étienne Reboul, OMI, founder of the parish of Hull, was buried in Notre-Dame Cemetery in 1877, and Donalda Charron, who led the famous matchmakers’ strike in 1924, was interred in the same cemetery in 1967?
• the last man to be hung at Hull prison, Omer Girard, was buried at Notre-Dame in 1937?
• despite their physical proximity, St-Rédempteur Cemetery and the Coopérative funéraire de l’Outaouais are entirely separate entities independent of each other?
• in 1999, Les Jardins du Souvenir sold a parcel of St-Rédempteur Cemetery to the Coopérative funéraire de l’Outaouais so that it could build a funeral home there?