Marie-Victorin Kirouac
Marie-Victorin Kirouac, F.S.C., was a Canadian religious brother, teacher, and botanist in Quebec. Born Joseph-Louis-Conrad Kirouac on April 3, 1885, in Kingsey Falls, Quebec, he took the name Brother Marie-Victorin when he joined the Brothers of the Christian Schools.
He is famous for two big achievements. First, he wrote Flore laurentienne, the first complete record of plant species native to southern Quebec. Second, he helped found the Montreal Botanical Garden, which opened its doors decades after he first suggested Montreal should have its own garden.
Vi ctorin campaigned for the garden as early as 1919, and it was approved in 1929. Construction began in 1931. He led efforts to collect plants, helped hire designer Henry Teuscher, and worked to protect the Garden even during World War II.
Besides his botanical work, he contributed to other writings, including the preface to a biography of his cousin Zephirin Paquet.
Marie-Victorin died in a car accident on July 15, 1944, in Montreal at age 59. He is buried at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery.
His legacy lives on in many forms. A building at the Université de Montréal is named after him. Numerous places in Quebec bear his name, and a rose variety called Marie-Victorin Rosa was named in his honor. In 1985, a park in his hometown, Parc Marie-Victorin, was created for his centennial and has since grown to about 30 acres. He was inducted into the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame. He has also been depicted in films, including Forgotten Flowers (2019) and Tell Me Why These Things Are So Beautiful (2023).
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 20:04 (CET).