Petit Séminaire
Quebec City
The Séminaire de Québec is a group of stone buildings in the heart of the upper town. People have come here to learn for more than three centuries.
A school from the 1600s
The Séminaire was founded in 1663 by François de Laval. In 1668 the petit séminaire, the school for boys, opened too. Famous teachers taught here and helped spread French culture in America.
Built one piece at a time
The buildings went up in seven phases, starting in 1675. The long wings stand around a closed courtyard, like the great French schools of the 1600s. The courtyard has a large gateway: you look at it from the street. Over the centuries the complex grew with new wings and floors. Yet the style stayed the same as at the start.
The French style
The walls are made of rough stone, covered with pale plaster. The roofs are very steep and full of dormers. Thick stone walls rise above the roofs between the wings. They stopped flames from spreading from house to house.
What to see from outside
From Rue Sainte-Famille, look at the façades and the rows of dormers on the roof. Count the floors: the tallest wings reach six. The courtyard is closed and stays behind the gateway.
