The Ursulines are a Roman Catholic religious order founded at Brescia, Italy in 1535, primarily for the education of girls and the care of the sick and needy. The Ursuline Sisters were the first Catholic nuns to land in the New World.

The history of the Ursulines is proudly displayed in the Musee des Ursulines de Québec (Ursuline Museum). The museum traces the story of the Ursuline nuns of Québec, who first landed there in 1639. The order established a boarding school for young women and prepared them for a secular life or a vocation in the convent. The museum is filled with teaching materials, personal objects and sacred artwork from the past.

After we toured the museum we went across the courtyard to the Ursuline Chapel. According to the chapel’s literature, one of the most beautiful ensembles of sculpted wood existing in the province of Québec is found here. The objects were created by Pierre-Noël Levasseur between 1723 and 1739 and transferred to the present-day chapel, which was constructed in 1902. The objects were gilded by the Ursulines themselves. The nave is adorned with paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries that were brought over from Europe during the French Revolution.

May 19, 2019