Between 2013 and 2015, archaeological excavations took place before the Monastère des Augustines’ rehabilitation work of the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec. The work cooperative, Artefactuel, was entrusted with this project and supervised by archaeologist Nathalie Gaudreau. Let’s explore how unique these excavations were.
Every month, an object from the heritage bequest by the Augustinian community is selected by the museum storage facility and archives center teams. In the spotlight this month: Deed of a Promise Made Between the Hospital’s Reverend Mothers and the Quebec Ursuline Nuns, dated February 8th, 1651.
Every month, an object from the heritage bequest by the Augustinian community is selected by the museum storage facility and archives center teams. In the spotlight this month: the Records of Revenue and Expenses for the Hôpital général de Québec Monastery’s Garden. This document records data from 1849 to 1930.
At the turn of the 1890s, the Augustinian Sisters were deeply rooted in Québec City. In 1873, the Hôtel-Dieu du Sacré-Cœur was added to the two other sites that already existed, the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec and Hôpital général de Québec. A few Augustinian Sisters from the Hôpital général even invested in new regions when they founded the Hôtel-Dieu Saint-Vallier de Chicoutimi in 1884 and the hospital in Lévis in 1892. The community was growing. To better understand why the Augustinian Sisters founded new hospitals, let’s examine the history of the one in Lévis.
Le Monastère des Augustines invites you to create your very own all-purpose balm. made of olive oil macerated with calendula, beeswax and peppermint essential oil. It is 100% natural!
The bequest of a heritage, whether material or immaterial, rests on an important emotion, even an attitude or a state of mind: trust. The Augustinian Sisters donated the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec monastery with tens of thousands of objects and documents with the assurance that their intangible intent would be respected and preserved for generations to come. The Fiducie du patrimoine culturel des Augustines was created for this reason. However, behind this legal structure (as a trust) are also human beings, including archivists, whose role is to protect, classify, but also interpret documents bequeathed to the trust. The sisters’ confidence in the archivists is remarkable. This text offers an overview of the importance of this enduring relationship to protect our heritage.
In 2018, the Hôpital général de Québec’s Augustinian Sisters are celebrating their community’s 325th anniversary. From the early 20th century, they have made it their mission to protect and make accessible material heritage they have accumulated for so many years. Inaugurated in 1930, the Hôpital général de Québec’s museum was, at the time, the first monastic museum in Québec City. Until its official closure in August 2009, this museum was located in the Notre-Dame-des-Anges wing, which was an annex built in 1929 to ensure the safe storage of artefacts and works of art. This museum was used for two purposes: to preserve the community’s works and to give the people of Québec access to the monastery’s heritage. Let’s look at the context that led to the museum’s development and then go over some interesting facts about it.
WHO KNOWS? EDUCATIONAL GAME – This quiz game, which highlights Quebec City’s third centennial in 1908, is made up of square-patterned game cards and short-answer questions. The latter are read to the group of players, and the first to answer correctly places the corresponding piece on their game card. The first player to complete their card wins the game.
In recent months, the Monastère des Augustines’ Museum storage facility has improved. With financial assistance from the Department of Canadian Heritage’s Museums Assistance Program, the collections team has been able to obtain specialized equipment to better preserve stored objects.
Hospital work is obviously serious in itself, but nothing comes in the way of a few moments favorable to a good mood or even humor. Le Monastère des Augustines’ archives are full of documents that testify that the life of the Augustinian Sisters is one of joy, pleasure and laughter. The pictures of the various monasteries illustrate that these women knew how to have fun with each other, but also with those whom they met, as much at the hospital as outside of the conventual setting. Here are some pictures that will probably make you smile.