Self‑guided Tour of Quebec City's Notre‑Dame Cathedral

Discover the Quebec City's Notre-Dame Cathedral, the official home of the oldest catholic diocese from North America to northern Mexico. This is where the first mission chapel of New France was erected in 1647, followed by the first parish church of New France, in 1664. This church was then turned into a cathedral in 1674, before being expanded and altered by several generations of architects. It remains a model of religious architecture.

EXPLORE

The interactive map offered on BaladoDiscovery presents the essential points of interest to discover in the cathedral and you can access the information on request.

ON SITE

Feel the spirit of the place, the scale and the inestimable heritage value of this magnificent building while being there. Use the map (or scan the QRs during the tour) to learn more about the history and have a memorable experience.

CONTEXT

Bombarded during the siege of Quebec in 1759, the cathedral was rebuilt witn proximate accuracy during a five year period from 1766 to 1771.  In 1843 it was equipped with an impressive neoclassical façade, which elevated this cathedral to the rank of basilica in 1874. Ravaged by a fire in 1922, it was, again, almost entirely rebuilt.  Keeping its monumental appearance in the mid-19th century, it was proclaimed Canada’s primatial cathedral in 1956.

Notre-Dame de Quebec is a cathedral because it is the Bishop of Quebec’s church. It is also a basilica, i.e., recognized as an important place of Catholicism, a place of pilgrimage.  Eventually, it was given the title of primatial church, as it is the mother church of the first catholic diocese in Canada.

This guide has been designed to inform you using your mobile during your visit. You can also use it offline by using the Preload option of the BaladoDiscovery application.

Enjoy your tour!


CREDITS

Production
Paroisse Notre-Dame de Québec

With
Entente de développement culturel - Ville de Québec et Gouvernement du Québec

Supervisor 
Bishop Denis Bélanger

Texts and reviews
Monique Bhérer
Sister Hélène Bastarache
Bishop Denis Bélanger

Project representant
Gilles Gignac

Researcher
Monique Bhérer, volunteer at the reception

Computer graphics 
Charles Nadeau

Producer
Gérald Gilbert

Production house
BaladoDiscovery (for Paroisse Notre-Dame de Québec)

Photos by Daniel Abel, official photographer 
© Images from point 1 (content 1), ainsi que 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.1, 2.3, 2.4, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 4.1, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8, 5.9, 5.10, 5.11, 5.12, 5.13, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 7.1, 7.2, 7.4, 7.5, 8.1.

Portrait of François de Laval
© image from point 2 (content 2): Title: Picture of Saint Francois de Québec, Daniel Abel, photographer, courtesy of the François-De Laval animation centre.

Images of the pope
CBC/Radio-Canada archives

Sources
Memory book of the Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica, Imprimerie Laflamme, 1923 ; Légaré, Denyse, L’Inspirante basilique-cathédrale, L’Architecture de Notre-Dame de Québec, Québec, Éditions du Septentrion, 2014 ; Noppen, Luc, Les églises du Québec (1600-1850), Éditions FIDES, 1980 ; Noppen, Luc, Notre-Dame de Québec, Éditions du Pélican, 1974 ; Robert, Paul, Le Petit Robert 1, Dictionnaire de la langue française, les Dictionnaires Le Robert, 1990 ; Société des musées québécois, Notre-Dame de Québec, Inventaire du patrimoine mobilier religieux, 2013.