Description of Historic Place

The Hôpital-Général de Québec Monastery National Historic Site of Canada, located at the intersection of the Saint-Roch and Saint-Sauveur neighbourhoods, is an architectural complex located in Quebec City’s Lower Town. The irregularly planned architectural complex comprises several wings corresponding to the former Hôpital-Général and the Augustines’ monastery: only the part corresponding to the monastery, still owned by the Augustines, has been designated a national historic site. The convent complex consists of the 11 wings of the convent built between 1671 and 2002, namely the Notre-Dame-des-Anges chapel (1671), the Récollets’ sacristy and choir (1679), the Récollets’ wing (1680), the rectory (1710), the apothecary wing (1714), the first community wing (1737), the second community wing (1843), the Notre-Dame-des-Anges wing (1929), the infirmary wing (1939, renovated in 2015), the nuns’ choir (1964) and infirmary (2002), and the gardener’s house (1840) and its outbuilding. In addition to these buildings, there are several large, landscaped areas, a garden and three cemeteries. The property is bordered by a wall, Des Commissaires St. West, Saint-Anselme St. and the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux (CIUSSS) de la Capitale-Nationale property, bounded to the north by Simon-Napoléon Parent St. The Hôpital-Général cemetery is on the site’s property, even though it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1999.

Heritage Value

The Hôpital-Général de Québec monastery (Quebec City, Quebec) was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2025. The site was recognized because:

• Located on the traditional territories of several First Nations, this convent complex has been occupied continuously by the Augustines since 1693 and is an excellent example of their hospital work. The oldest convent in the country, it is of vital importance to Canada’s medical, religious and social history.

• Inspired by European tradition, the Augustines’ monastery buildings are a remarkable illustration of the evolution of architecture and building techniques in Canada since the second half of the 17th century. Some parts are examples of the original decor of the monastery, including the refectory in the building inherited from the Récollets, with its pine panels, and the Notre-Dame-des-Anges chapel, with its wooden arch and magnificent altarpiece.

• Spared the bombardments of the Siege of Québec and having never experienced a major fire, the buildings are still authentic today. The ensemble of buildings is in a remarkable state of conservation, constituting a site of architectural and artistic heritage preservation of outstanding importance.

The Hôpital-Général de Québec monastery, built on the former Récollets estate, has been continuously occupied by the Augustines since 1693. After arriving in New France in 1615, the Récollets established their convent on the bank of the Saint-Charles River in 1620. After an exile forced by the capture of Québec by the Kirke brothers on behalf of England, the Récollets retook possession of their property in 1670 and built a church (1671–1673) and a new stone monastery (1680–1684). In 1692, Bishop Jean-Baptiste de La Croix de Chevrières de Saint-Vallier (1653–1727) acquired the Récollets’ monastery and founded a general hospital, open to the poor, the sick, the infirm and the aged. In 1693, he entrusted management of this hospital to the Augustines de la Miséricorde de Jésus, a community of cloistered nursing sisters who were already responsible for the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec. The Hôpital-Général de Québec monastery served as a military hospital during the Seven Years’ War, particularly during the Siege of Québec (1759) and the Battle of Sainte-Foy (1760), treating all injured soldiers, allies and enemies alike. In 1775, the monastery was occupied by New England revolutionaries. It was also a place of refuge for victims of large fires in the adjacent neighbourhoods of Saint-Roch (1845) and Saint-Sauveur (1866). In 1999, the nuns divested themselves of the section of the building used as a general hospital. The location became a long term care home (CHSLD) managed by the Government of Quebec.

Source: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, June 2024.

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements contributing to the heritage value of this site include:
— its location in Notre-Dame-des-Anges, in the heart of Quebec City’s Lower Town, at the intersection of the Saint-Roch and Saint-Sauveur neighbourhoods;

— its southern and western boundaries delimited by a stone wall along Des Commissaires St. West;

— the Hôpital-Général cemetery (NHS, 1999), as well as two community cemeteries, one inside the cloister and the other in the southwestern part of the property, with a charnel house;

— large landscaped areas and a garden;

— the gardener’s house and outbuilding;

— the layout of the buildings and four interior courtyards, the cloister courtyard being completely enclosed;

— the exterior architectural features of the Notre-Dame-des-Anges chapel, including its rectangular floor plan, single-span nave with a flat chevet and gable roof; the four-storey sacristy with a flat roof and the two-storey bell tower located at the junction of the sacristy and the Récollets building; the materials used and the facade, featuring a gable with oculus, porch, cornice returns and a combination of arched and rectangular openings; distinctive details such as arched and rectangular windows, arched dormers and moulded cornices;

— the exterior architectural features of the Notre-Dame-des-Anges wings including the first community and presbytery wings, characterized by their volumes (notably the rectangular layout, three-and-a-half-storey elevations and straight gable roofs), materials (including stone walls and Canadian-style tin roofing), fire walls, openings (rectangular and arched, including hipped and gabled dormers, windows and wooden doors with transoms), wood balconies, entrance porch, esses and other ornamentation;

— the exterior architectural features of the nuns’ choir, the Récollets building, the second community wing and the apothecary wing, including their volumes, notably the rectangular layout, one- to five-storey elevations and flat roofs; the materials, such as stone walls; openings framed with ashlar architraves; galleries; esses and other ornamentation;

— original preserved interior features and details including the chapel decor (the arched wooden vault, painted landscape panels, choir altarpiece, high altar and tabernacle), the wide cloister staircase, built-in cupboards and furniture integrated into the architecture, joinery elements, wooden floors, board-and-batten and coffered ceilings, and the chapel’s original wood frame.