Ursulines of Quebec
The Ursuline Monastery of Quebec City (French: Monastère des Ursulines de Québec) was founded by a missionary group of Ursuline nuns in 1639 under the leadership of Mother Marie of the Incarnation, O.S.U. It is the oldest institution of learning for women in North America.[1] Today, the monastery serves as the General Motherhouse of the Ursuline Sisters of the Canadian Union.[2] The community there also operates an historical museum[3] and continues to serve as a teaching centre.[4]
Monastery information
1639
Ursuline Monastery of Tours
St. Marie of the Incarnation, O.S.U.
Mother Geneviève Boucher, O.S.U.; Jeanne Le Ber; St. Marie-Marguerite d'Youville, S.G.M.
active
1972
1641
1642
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
yes
1936
religious museum and teaching centre
The complex was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1972.[5]
Background[edit]
The Ursulines are a Roman Catholic religious order founded at Brescia, Italy by Angela de Merici in 1535, primarily for the education of girls and the care of the sick and needy.[1] Their patron saint is Saint Ursula.
The Viceroyalty of New France was the area colonized by France in North America starting with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534. The French explorer Samuel de Champlain founded the city of Québec in 1608 among the Algonquin people as the administrative seat for New France. Colonization was slow and difficult. Many settlers died early, because of harsh weather and diseases. In 1630, there were only 103 colonists living in the settlement, but, by 1640, there were 355.
The Ursuline Monastery of Quebec, established in 1639, founded the following monasteries and convents which were autonomous until 1953:
The era is coming to a close. Article from Globe and Mail, July 26, 2018. Of 52 sisters only four will remain when 48 move to a care facility in September 2018. "When the last nuns pad out the door, it will not be easy to return. The massive wooden door to the Ursuline Monastery only has a doorknob on the inside. It was designed to keep outsiders from getting in. Ultimately, though, it could not keep out the realities of advancing age and a secular world."[14]
Affiliations[edit]
The Museum is affiliated with the CMA, CHIN and Virtual Museum of Canada.