Notre-Dame Cemetery, Much More than a Resting Place, It Breathes History

Fields of Honour

The Notre-Dame Cemetery is the final resting place of more than 130,000 individuals with the largest number of burials of all catholic cemeteries in the Ottawa region. Many deceased members of catholic religious communities in the region, among them the Sisters of Charity, the Daughters of Wisdom, Sisters of the Good Shepherd, Adorers of the Precious Blood as well as the Company of Mary (Montfort Fathers), Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers), Redemptorists, and Christian Brothers rest at Notre-Dame Cemetery. There are also many historic personalities, such as politicians, including Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier; senators, MPs and MPPs; mayors of Ottawa and Eastview/Vanier; scientists; educators; writers; artists; professional athletes.

Numerous members of the military forces, including veterans and war dead, are also honoured in the cemetery and particularly in the Fields of Honour, with some 1 783 military graves, among which 115 war dead.

“Notre-Dame Cemetery is a cemetery built for our loved ones and friends – our heroes. (...) It is a place where we can commemorate and honour them. The grounds offer a place of peace and serenity for the deceased and their families. (...) One cannot forget that we walk in the footsteps of those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith (...)”— Catholic Archdiocese of Ottawa.