Quebec City

The Old City of Quebec is a memorable getaway.  It is North America’s only remaining fortified city and a UNESCO world heritage site, with over 4.6 km of ramparts.   When you pass through the gates into the old city, you are leaving North America and entering a quintessentially European setting.  The old city is a mix of old stone buildings and narrow cobblestone streets, lined with cafes, boutiques, and several public squares.  Many of the buildings date from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

The old city is separated into two parts – the Upper Town and the Lower Town.

At the nexus of the Upper and Lower Town is the historic castle-like Chateau Frontenac hotel (site of the historic Quebec Conference between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill during World War II) and its adjoining Dufferin Terrace.  From the Terrace, visitors are afforded wonderful views of the river and the Lower Town from its six hundred and seventy one meter wooden boardwalk.  In the winter months, the terrace is a great spot for watching the massive ice flows along the river.

Lower Town

The Lower Town can be accessed by stairs or funicular from the Dufferin Terrace.  The funicular was built in 1879 and provides wonderful vistas of the St. Lawrence and Lower Town.  In the Lower Town, the funicular is accessed through the original home of Louis Jolliet, the explorer who discovered the Mississippi River.

The Lower Town is a crowded series of gently descending laneways lined with low rise stone buildings, whose storefronts house charming art galleries, shops, and restaurants.  A walk down Rue du Petit Champlain could easily be mistaken for a stroll through any small town or village in France.

At the heart of the Lower Town is the Place Royale:  a cobblestone town square built at the site of the city’s foundation by Samuel de Champlain.  This square was the site of the first permanent French settlement in North America and remained the central marketplace in Old Quebec for two hundred years.  At its heart is the small parish church, Notre Dame de Victoires.  Built in 1688, it is the oldest surviving stone church in Canada and was the heart of Catholic life in Old Quebec.  The chapel is named in thanksgiving for Our Lady’s intercession to protect the people of Quebec from two attempted English invasions in 1690 and  1711. The paintings above the main altar tell the story of Our Lady’s miraculous involvement in these two events.  In thanksgiving for these two events, the chapel became an important pilgrimage destination during the eighteenth century; some of the ex voto offerings can still be seen by visitors today.

Upper Town

The sights of Old Quebec are steeped in Catholic heritage.  Within the stone ramparts of the Old City lie three of North America’s saints and blesseds.

Just past the Porte St. Jean, at 75 Rue des Ramparts, is the Hotel de Dieu de Quebec monastery (the Augustinian monastery).  This was the first hospital established on the continent north of Mexico, founded in 1637 by Duchess of Aiguillon of France (niece of Cardinal Richelieu and friend of St. Vincent de Paul).  It was to this hospital that Blessed Catherine de St. Augustine, the French visionary, arrived in 1648.  You can learn about her life story and visit her tomb at the Hotel de Dieu.

From the Monastery, follow Rue Saint Jean and continue along to Rue Fabrique, where the Basilica of Notre Dame is located.  Entering the basilica, pilgrims are stepping into the oldest continuous parish in North America (north of Mexico), built over the site of the first chapel built by Samuel de Champlain in 1633.  From here, the bishops governed an expansive diocese that stretched all the way along the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. The centerpiece of the basilica is the gold enthroned altar.  The high altar is crowned by a large domed lantern,  believed to contain a bone fragment of the apostle Saint Paul. To the left of the main altar is a side chapel dedicated to the Canadian saints, with its reliquary containing the relics of all Canadian saints and blesseds.  To the right of the main altar is the tomb of St. Francois de Laval, the first bishop of Quebec, who was canonized by Pope Francis in 2014.  He also left his mark on the universal church, having established the Feast of the Holy Family,  celebrated annually in the week after Christmas.

Near the Basilica is the Seminaire de Quebec (located on Rue Ramparts, just past the Basilica).  It was founded by St. Francois de Laval in 1663 for the formation of the diocesan priests.  Part of the complex houses the Museum of American France which traces the founding of the French colony in the new world.  Part of the museum is the original seminary chapel, which is said to contain the largest collection of relics in Canada, though these are rarely displayed.

From the Basilica, follow Rue des Jardins to the Monastaire des Ursulines. This is a complex of buildings built between the 17^th and 20^th centuries by the Ursuline sisters.  Led by Saint Marie de l’Incarnation, the Ursulines founded the first girls school for French and Amerindian girls in North America on this site. The tomb of St. Marie de l’Incarnation is located in the monastery’s chapel; the chapel is only open to the public during the summer months.   Many of the paintings lining the walls are originals from churches and convents in France that were brought over to New France during the French Revolution, when churches and convents were being destroyed in France.  Most notable of all is the statue of Notre Dame de Grand Pouvoir.  The votive lamp has remained perpetually lit under this statue since 1724, lit by a young novice – Madeleine de Repentigny – who lit the lamp to burn in perpetuity with the goal of preserving her vocation.

A door in the nave leads to the small oratory where the plain simple granite tomb of Saint Marie de l’Incarnation can be found.  St. Marie was a mystic nun who is often described as the “Teresa of Avila of New France” and the first female religious missionary from France to set foot in the new colony.

From the monastery, continue on to Rue St. Louis heading past the Chateau Frontenac, where you will come upon the Place d’Armes.  This square is built over the site of the original Recollet (Franciscan) convent from 1615.  The Recollets were the first priests to arrive in New France, and the fountain at the centre of the plaza – le monument de foi – commemorates their arrival.

Departing the Old City, take time to explore the historic sites on the other side of the rampart, along the cliffside overlooking the St. Lawrence River.  The Plains of Abraham, is the famous battlefield where France lost control of New France to the British in 1759.  You could also visit the Citadel – a historic British fortification on the St. Lawrence River often called North America’s Gibraltar, and currently the Quebec residence of Canada’s Governor General (the Queen’s representative in Canada).  It is also here that Georges Vanierand his wife are buried.  General Vanier was one of Canada’s Governors-General and his example of humble service and family life has resulted in an investigation into possible sainthood.

From Quebec City, it is about a 30 minute drive to the famous shrine of St. Anne de Beaupre, the most famous shrines in Canada.  Click here to read more.