Quintessential Québec City: Monasteries

Québec City will always stand-out from amongst the other big cities in Canada. Its charming quaintness emanates from a blend of North American and European cultures that is not intrinsically and purely North American, but not comprehensively European either. Rather, it has a unique characteristic that embraces the combined heritage of all the peoples that have lived in that land while never losing touch with its French connections. The result is a seamless amalgamation of various elements of culture that gives it its very own distinct identity.

It is not unusual to hear first time visitors say that being in the city is like being in Europe, but after at least half a day, they’d realize that they are very much still in North America. It happened to me.

The first time I set foot in Québec City on a cruise many years back, I felt transported to another continent as our ship docked at the Saint-Lawrence River and I got a glimpse of the old stone houses in the distance. It was nothing like Vancouver or Toronto…and even its sister city, Montréal.

The architecture, the language, the vibe, the air of antiquity, particularly in the Old Town, all scream, “I am ancient and I have a long, colourful story to tell…” Yet, after my encounter with the locals, I knew I was still home. This is still Canada…but the wonderfully whimsical part of Canada. And I never get tired of exploring it every time I go back.

Our 2017 visit to Québec City was the longest one, out of our other trips. That time, we stayed for five days to watch the parade and enjoy the festivities of Les Fêtes de la Nouvelle-France (The New France Festival). We spent a lot of time wandering around and getting to know its neighbourhoods a little better.

In 2018, we went back to accompany our son when he participated in a national chess tournament. We stayed for four days. In between matches and after the last match of each day, we’d go for walks and sightseeing.

This series will be about the neighbourhoods that we explored.

Monasteries

Québec is home to several monasteries, but most of them are no longer active. This province was shaped by the global conflict between France and England in the 18^th and early 19^th centuries, and this conflict is evident in its religious roots.

In Québec City, you will find within the embrace of the old walls monasteries of various religious orders - Augustinians, Ursulines, Jesuits, Church of England, the Chalmers Wesley United Church, and the St. Andrews Church (Church of Scotland), among others. They arrived in the New World alongside the explorers, bringing with them their mission of educating, healing, and assimilating the Indigenous populations.

Sadly, the province of Quebec has suffered a religious collapse over the years, and these religious institutions have rebranded themselves as “cultural” institutions in the present time, serving as museums, hostels, educational centres, spa and wellness centres, and shops. The nuns are either gone or have dwindled in numbers. Most have relocated somewhere else or are staying in a small area within the monastery complex.

Nevertheless, these former monasteries are worth a visit. We went to a couple of them in Québec City.

L’Hôtel-Dieu de Québec and Le Monastère des Augustines

We discovered this monastery when we explored Rue de l’Hôtel Dieu after we window-shopped at Magasin Général P.L. Blouin. At the end of the street, you will reach the quiet Rue Charlevoix and the first thing you’d notice is a chapel with an adjacent monastery – La Chapelle Hôtel-Dieu de Québec and Le Monastère des Augustines.

These two buildings facing the street are part of a bigger complex of L’Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, Canada’s very first hospital and the very first in America, north of Mexico. Its history is linked with the history of the Augustinian nuns, a congregation of religious women who pioneered health care in New France.

Five years after their arrival from Dieppe, France in 1644, the Augustinian nuns, after setting up temporary quarters in Sillery, founded their first permanent hospital situated on the very same spot where the hospital is standing today. Thirty years later, the site housed a monastery, a chapel, and two wards for the sick. In 1695, two new wings were added to form a square courtyard, but fire ravaged the premises in 1755 leaving only two wings in usable condition. The complex was reconstructed between 1756 and 1758, and a chapel was built between 1800 and 1803 out of materials recovered from torn-down buildings and out of the kindness and generosity of craftsmen who volunteered their skills.

The nuns tended to the sick from both from the communities of the Native populations and the new settlers with the help of some volunteer physicians from the new colony. The field of medicine at that time was not fully developed, and it provided more of a hit-and-miss kind of treatment. But the nuns’ hospital proved to have an astonishingly high cure rate, thanks to their dedication and the experience they acquired in France.

And since Québec was far from France and it was difficult to depend on imported medicine, the nuns use their resourcefulness in utilizing medicine and treatments on hand at that time. Eventually, they grew their own medicinal plants and developed skills as apothecaries making their own medicines. They quickly mastered the science of medications that by 1800, patients from as far as Halifax would come for consultation. This tradition was perpetuated until the Augustinians passed the torch to the pharmaceutical industry in the 20^th century.

As well, after more than three centuries of managing the hospital, they turned it over to the government in 1962 when health and education became government responsibilities.

Today, the Augustinian nuns face the challenge of dwindling members and a shortage of vocations. And so, in 2000, to preserve their heritage, they drew up an application to have the rich collections they have amassed over time to be classified as cultural property.

A series of studies were commissioned to make an inventory of their heritage assets and bring them together under one roof – centuries-old monastery furnishings, tapestries, paintings, liturgical accessories, statues, embroideries, Aboriginal art, apothecary items and medical instruments, as well as archives and books. This collection is housed within the complex, along with the members of the Augustinian Order that reside there.

Today, the facility is designated as a National Historic Site of Canada and both the hospital and the monastery are listed in the Québec Directory of Cultural Heritage.

We visited the chapel first. It is a small stone building built in the Latin Cross plan with a vessel nave, a transept with sloping sides, and a flat chevet choir. Its simple façade belies its beautiful interior, which is a testament to the artistry of the craftsmen who generously contributed to its construction.

Most notable is architect Thomas Baillairgé who designed the plan for the renovation in 1829, including, among others, the false vault and the altarpieces of the choir and chapels, one of the rare sets that Baillairgé himself sculpted. He also built the tabernacle at the main altar that rests on a Roman tomb. But what I noticed most were the numerous religious paintings adorning the walls, the antique statues and reliquaries, and the various religious items dating back to the 17^th century. For a small chapel, the rich art collection found inside is quite remarkable.

Beside the chapel is the monastery which is now multi-functional. It houses the museum that displays the Augustinian heritage collection and the archives that store one kilometer of books and documents where researchers can find a trove of information that traces the evolution of healthcare in Québec society.

In addition, it is also now a hostel. The nuns’ former cells have been redesigned into accommodation rooms that keep their old character of simplicity and calm, a tranquil haven where one can relax and banish worldly cares. And in true monastic tradition, those who are staying here are asked to unplug from electronic devices “to better connect with your inner life.”

There is also an in-house restaurant whose menu revolves around local and organic food with healthy eating as its foremost principle. As well, the facility provides various wellness services such as holistic health consultations, nutrition consultations, therapeutic massages, meditation, and yoga.

I was surprised to see the latter, because one does not normally equate yoga with a Catholic monastery, and I know of many conservative Catholics who are totally averse to the practice of yoga and Eastern meditation. But we do have to keep in mind that the Augustinian nuns have already turned over the management of the facility to a secular group. It is currently being run by a non-profit organization that is committed to honour the Augustinian Sisters’ mission through a contemporary centre of total health.

Personally speaking, I have no issues with yoga and meditation. Meditation has always been a part of Western religious tradition and while Eastern practices are not exactly the same, certain principles are parallel. There is also a branch of meditation that is completely secular. For me, as long as one remains faithful to his religious beliefs, this shouldn’t in any way shake any foundations of spirituality.

As for yoga, its origins may be traced from another faith, but contemporary yoga has now evolved into various forms and various configurations that one cannot really surmise that it is some form of religious practice that is contrary to Christian, or more specifically, Catholic tenets. At the very least, it is in no way negative or evil.

And I will confidently say that if one day I decide to travel on my own for some personal time, or travel with girlfriends on a quest for self-care and self-discovery, I’d definitely consider staying here.

Monastery of the Ursulines of Québec

If you turn left on Rue du Parloir, you will reach the Monastery of the Ursulines of Québec, where you can have a tour of their convent, their marvellous chapel, and their beautiful courtyard and gardens. In fact, this is one of the most impressive religious complexes in the province.

The Ursuline nuns of France played a key role in New France’s first decades. They pioneered the colony’s first school for young girls and were renowned for the art of embroidery that they have passed down for three centuries and used for the creation of a vast quantity of altar frontals and liturgical vestments in silk, wool, and gold thread. Much of these liturgical treasures has survived to this day and can be viewed at the museum within the convent compound. The museum also highlights the heritage of their educational institution over the years.

They also have a chapel that is open to the public and has a unique configuration. The building is “L-shaped,” with the monastic axis oriented in the northwest-southeast direction, while the public portion of the chapel is oriented in the northeast-southwest direction.  The altar stands at the intersection of the two legs where in a traditional church one would find the crossing.  Thus, the cloistered nuns could worship facing the altar separated by the grill and out of sight from lay Catholics in the nave of the public portion of the chapel. 

At present, the Ursuline nuns still run a school, but they have parted with their age-old tradition of only admitting girls. Today, their elementary school accepts boys as well. If we were Québec City residents, we would certainly consider this school for our son.