Basilique Notre-Damede-Quebec

Place de l’Hotel de Ville.

Tel: (418) 6940665.

This magnificent cathedral is the principal seat of the Roman Catholic archbishop of Quebec, whose diocese once stretched from here to Mexico.

Fire destroyed the first two churches on the site before 1640, and the first cathedral built here was torn down by the British in 1759. A fourth version burned down in 1922.

The present cathedral replaced it in the style of the 1647 original. Some modern materials, including concrete, steel, and plaster, have been used to re-create the light feel; glowing stained-glass windows, richly gilded decoration, and the graceful baldachin over the main altar add to the effect.

Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral

31 Rue des Jardins.

Tel: (418) 6922193.

After worshiping for nearly a century in the city’s Catholic churches, in 1804 the Anglicans of Quebec finally had their own cathedral built at state expense. Their new mother church was the first Anglican cathedral outside Britain and is modeled on London’s huge Neo-Classical St. Martin’s in the Fields. To this day, gifts from

England remain, including the prayer book and Bible donated by the British King George III. Cut from the King’s Windsor Forest in England, the pews are of oak, and the eight-bell peal is the oldest in Canada. In the summer artists and artisans fill the verdant church grounds.

Monastere des Ursulines

Rue Donnacona.

Tel: (418) 694 0694.

In 1639, Mere Marie de l’Incarnation brought the Ursuline order of nuns to Quebec and oversaw the construction in 1641 of the nunnery, which later burned down. Today, visitors can see the Saint-Augustin and Saint-Famille wings, which date from a period of rebuilding between 1686 and 1721.

Surrounded by fruit orchards, the charming complex has gradually evolved over the past four centuries. One of the buildings is North America’s oldest girls’ school.

Nearly a hundred nuns still live and work here, so access is limited. The beautifully decorated chapel and French antiques, including Louis XIII furniture, scientific instruments, paintings, and embroideries, are displayed in the Musee des Ursulines within the monastery.

The museum also tells the story of the nuns’ educational and missionary achievements. Mere Marie completed the first Huron, Algonquin and Iroquois dictionaries. Copies are on display, along with embroidery and liturgical clothes from the 17th to 19th centuries.