Our Very Diverse Day...

We left our apartment this morning with the only goal of getting to the Bureau de Poste. This has to be my favorite post office yet.

The Louis S. St-Laurent Building (1872 to 1873 and 1913 to 1919) is an impressive three-and-a-half story, corner building designed elaborately in the Second Empire style, with later Beaux-Arts design elements. "Clad in cut stone, its symmetrical façades are embellished with a rich classical vocabulary and ornamentation, culminating in an attic story." The construction of the original building marked an important stage in the development of an international postal communication network, and the Louis S. St-Laurent Building is one of the few postal facilities, to survive from this period.
What makes this particular post office so special, besides it grandeur, is its employees. They are incredibly proud of their building and love to share its history.

In addition, it has one of the coolest postmarks ever (that's the Château Frontenac so wonderfully illustrated). Wow.
How cute are the mailboxes here? Anything postal brings me joy.
Interestingly, this bas-relief adorns the pediment of the Louis S. St. Laurent building. It shows a golden dog gnawing on a bone with this inscription, which is translated: "I am a dog gnawing my bone / In so doing I rest alone / A time will come that’s yet to be / When I bite he who’s bitten me". This odd verse has given rise to a number of legends, all turning on the theme of revenge. Centuries have passed but the golden dog has maintained its hold on the collective imagination. It has been variously represented, appropriated, interpreted and reinterpreted, and slowly but surely carved out its niche as part of Québec’s cultural heritage.

The bas-relief has been a fixture since 1688. Every time the building it adorned was renovated or modified, care was taken to keep it in plain sight of passersby at the same prime location in Upper Town. The sculpture has always attracted curiosity and interest. Its renown has spread beyond Canada’s borders and it has acquired both widespread fame and special heritage value. The sculptor’s name may be unknown but there is no denying the intrinsic value of the over three-hundred-year-old work. Sculpted from Pointe-aux-Trembles limestone and in all likelihood gilded with gold leaf, the golden dog has stood the test of time, a stoic witness to the myriad events that have marked the history of this part of the city. Yes, history is found in some really interesting places.
This building complex is so large, there is no way to really get a photo of it, but its place here is very important. The Séminaire de Québec was founded in 1663 by Saint François de Laval. Originally, this community of priests had the mission of serving the clergy and actively working for evangelization. The teaching provided at the Grand Séminaire was primarily dedicated to the training of future priests of New France. It was in 1668 that the Petit Séminaire de Québec was created, with the aim of offering a more accessible springboard to students wishing to continue their studies towards the Grand Séminaire .
The Séminaire is also part of the Quebec landscape through its architecture. Its buildings, built between 1675 and 1868, bear witness to the different eras and occupations of the City. Among the renowned architects who worked on the conceptualization and construction of these majestic buildings, were Charles Baillargé and Joseph-Ferdinand Peachy. While this history has been enriched for more than 350 years, the work of the Séminaire de Québec continues today, and for a long time to come.
It is currently the home of the School of Architecture which "offers an exceptional learning environment in one of the finest examples of New France architecture in Québec."
Everywhere you go, you can find a cannon! Approximately 300 cannon pieces were placed around the rampart in 1837. I think most of them are still here. Crazy and interesting.

There is no way to be in Québec City and not experience its stairs. The town is built partly in a valley and partly on a headland. Travel between Upper Town and Lower Town has always been a challenge, and the stairways a solution. The first appeared in 1635, but the number increased in the 19th century, mainly to facilitate access to the Saint-Roch district. Today they are a distinctive feature of Québec City and even attract extreme sports enthusiasts (not me). Steve is on the Charles-Baillairgé (1893) staircase. It's good the scenery is so pretty for those who need to pause on the way up.
We have passed this spot numerous times, identified with a lone, red cross. Today, we decided to stop and explore. It is the site of Québec's first cemetery and was used from 1608 until 1687. Some 300 people are buried there including Marie Rollet (born in Paris in 1577). She and her husband, Louis Hérbert, were the first European settlers to live in New France.
This lovely building designed by architect David Ouellet in the neo-Gothic style was constructed between 1878 and 1887 to house Hôpital de la Miséricorde, where the Sisters of the Good Shepherd provided accommodations for unwed mothers. This was only one of many works of charity of this religious community—the first of its kind founded in Québec, in 1855, by Marie Fitzbach, a mother herself.
I'm standing by the old entrance which was used by the young, unmarried, pregnant women (the door has become a window). These shamed and ashamed women entered the building by this more discretely located entrance until 1929. About 300 unwed mothers passed through this portal annually. That's a lot of sad history in one little door.
We returned to Rue du Petit-Champlain, where we discovered a cannonball embedded in the wall at number 46 1/2. Turns out there are a number of cannonballs embedded in the walls of Lower and Upper Town, and others are still being found during renovations and repairs. During the Siege of Québec in 1759, over 40,000 English cannonballs and 10,000 incendiary bombs were fired on the city. Wow.
La Maison Louis-Jolliet (1683) is the house of Louis Jolliet. Jolliet was one of the most important explorers of North America-travelling to the Mississippi with the Jesuit Jacques Marquette (1637-1675) in 1673 in search of a passage to China. Jolliet was one of the first Québécois to have left his mark on North America's history. He lived here during the last years of his life. Today his house serves as the lower terminal of the Funiculaire du Vieux Québec.
A brief respite happened here. "Looking for what to do this summer? La Cale du Port de Québec invites you to the most beautiful terrace in the heart of Old Quebec! Located on the shores of the St. Lawrence River, La Cale du Port de Québec is a real seaside resort, a gathering place for families to enjoy the pleasures of summer. There are spaces for relaxation and coworking, where you can have a drink and eat while admiring the exceptional view of the river."
The tables and chairs are in a pool of water! I mean, how cool is this (literally and figuratively)!?

Québec has totally embraced the whole Bean Bag Chair thing. They are everywhere people gather! In the 1970s, when I had my apple green one, bean bags were mass marketed and reached the height of their popularity. You could almost guarantee that you could walk into any household in any First World country and find a bean bag (we had two) somewhere in their house. 

Today, bean bags are back in fashion with a roar as they continue to absolutely skyrocket in popularity. A standout statement, stylish piece of furniture, they are just as safe for your kids as any other piece of furniture you have in your household (which they weren't in the 70s which is why they went away), as they come with multiple safety features in place and a durability test that they must pass as part of their manufacturing process.

The bean bag chair celebrated its 50th birthday this year, and it has come a long way. Unlike it’s beginning as a non-conforming design to suit the hippies in the 1970s, a bean bag today is even considered luxurious and an interior designers delight, and can be found in the houses of celebrities, in resorts, hospitals, offices, schools, cinemas and all sorts of amazing events.
I was pretty content in my Adirondack with my feet in the coolness.
Speaking of diversity, we ended our day at the opening ceremonies for La Fête Arc-en-ciel de Québec. This pride festival attracts more than 35,000 people to downtown for music, theater, and expression.


We were there for the music and merriment.

The concert happen in Place D’Youville, a focal point and gathering place throughout history. It began as Montcalm public market, one of Québec’s busiest from 1878 to 1929. Its cultural vocation came to the fore in 1903 with the opening of Auditorium de Québec, then Palais Montcalm in 1932. The square went on to become an outdoor venue for the Winter Carnival, the Québec Summer Festival, annual city celebrations, and the inauguration of the 400th anniversary of Québec City. Place D’Youville certainly knows how to throw a party and it is just blocks from our apartment.

Our day certainly ended with color and a lot of fun. There really is so much to do in Québec!

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1 comments:

Four Points Bulletin said...

Love that post office! I am surprised it isn't surrounded by more cannons... its amazing that there are cannon balls in the walls. Now that is fun to say.

September 4, 2023 at 6:44 AM

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