MONTREAL -- As our Plattsburgh hospital, CVPH Medical Center, continues one of the largest expansions in its history, it's worth noting that a distant ancestor still survives north of the border.

The Grey Nuns opened the facility as Champlain Valley Hospital, Clinton County's first, in 1910. This religious order owes its existence to Marguerite d'Youville (1701-1771), whose small group of concerned women took over operation of Montreal's first hospital in 1747. One can walk down Rue St. Pierre in Old Montreal and find walls of that venerable place still standing.

NEW-WORLD BENEFACTOR

Let's begin with Francois Charon, a wealthy Frenchman determined to contribute to the welfare of the poor in the New World. He recruited a group of like-minded men, secured a grant of 10 acres from the Sulpician Fathers, and in 1693 built a residence for orphans, the sick or disabled and the elderly in Montreal.

None of the Brothers Hospitallers of the Cross and St. Joseph stayed long, but nuns with similar sympathies continued what became known as Charon Hospital, and later Montreal General. Francois himself died on a ship returning to France in 1719.

When the hospital fell on hard times, d'Youville was invited to take over operations in 1747. Fire damaged the hospital in 1765, but rebuilding began almost immediately. With time, newer health-care facilities were needed. In addition, construction of Rue St. Pierre in 1836 carved up the property. The Grey Nuns kept the grounds as their motherhouse, at least until 1871, when the order required more room. A new complex was built on the corner of Guy and Dorchester streets. The older buildings were contracted as storage facilities on a 99-year lease.

FULL CIRCLE

Ninety-nine-year leases have a tendency to fade in the public mind. However, when this one expired in 1970, the Grey Nuns decided to reclaim their original home. Fundraising and renovation took a decade. Upon moving back in 1981, the Sisters of Charity of Montreal (one of six autonomous congregations of Grey Nuns) brought their history full circle.

A series of plaques and maps helps interpret the site. Some of the visible walls date all the way back to 1693 and were part of the original hospital building. Others enclosed an adjacent chapel added two years later. Windows help distinguish the two, with arched ones on the chapel and squared for the hospital. Brass slats, like Venetian blinds, hide a private garden behind two windows.

If you only take the time to read the plaques and perhaps snap photos of the centuries-old stone walls, though, you miss much of the story. For this we entered the complex for a scheduled tour. English-speaking guides are less available, so if you're not fluent in French, consider calling ahead to make plans.

AN OATH TO SERVE

Inside, we noticed the keystone of the arch that originally fronted the hospital. Later, we would see the actual cornerstone of the 1695 chapel. There would be many additional relevant artifacts. First, however, Sister Therese Pelletier provided some background on Marie d'Youville and a perspective on her contributions.

The exhibit "In Her Footsteps" tells the story of Marie Marguerite de Lajemmerais, whose father emigrated to Quebec in 1687. Though he sought to provide his daughter an education at the Ursuline school in Quebec City, his premature death in 1708 pre-empted those plans. Her mother remarried a doctor; he brought the family to Montreal in 1721.

There Marie met and became betrothed to Francois d'Youville, a man of means who prospered in the fur trade. On the side, he profited from illegal sales of alcohol to native Amerindians.

Her husband died in 1730, but not before she bore six children. Four died in infancy; the other two became priests. Despite her own financial straits, Marie began aiding impoverished people. A painting depicts three women who joined her and took an oath to serve the poor. An actual copy of their oath from 1837 still survives and is considered the start of the Sisters of Charity.