Origins

Monseigneur Bruno Guigues founded the College of Bytown, the original name of uOttawa, in 1848. At that time, the college was run by the Oblates of Marie Immaculate, a Catholic congregation. Their initial goal was to offer elementary and secondary level education to the young men of Bytown.

[Image: Collection 38, NEG-NB-38A-2-923, Credit: University of Ottawa]

The first building was a small, 3-storey wooden building in Lowertown. In the early days, the college was made up of 10 professors and around 60 students. When the wooden structure became too small, the college moved to a larger stone building at Guigues and Sussex, in 1853. This building still exists today, and a plaque can be found where the wooden building once stood.

[Image: Collection 38, NEG-NB-38AH-1-6, Credit: Unknown]

The plaque that you are standing near, was dedicated by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, and honours the Oblates of Mary Immaculate missionaries, and their work in the Ottawa area. The plaque was unveiled in 1991, the 150th anniversary of their arrival in Canada.

[Image: Collection 38, NEG-NB-38A-3-123, Credit: University of Ottawa]