Porte Saint-Louis
Quebec City
The Porte Saint-Louis is a gate in the walls of Vieux-Québec. It links the old town with the newer neighbourhoods that grew up outside the walls.
A gate to pass through
The first gate on this spot was built at the end of the 1600s. It was narrow and was closed at night. So moving between the old town and the countryside was hard, even for people selling goods. Trade suffered and the town struggled to grow. Meanwhile, new neighbourhoods full of houses and workshops grew up outside the walls.
The governor who saved the walls
In the 1800s many people wanted to tear down the walls. Lord Dufferin, the country's Governor General from 1872 to 1878, said no. With a foreign expert he drew up plans for new gates. The new gates had to be wide and beautiful to look at. This one was built between 1878 and 1881, much bigger than the old one.
Old walls, carefully restored
Today's walls are the third the town has had. The cracks were filled with a special mortar.
What to see from outside
Look at the turrets, the battlements and the squared stones. On one side you see the old town, on the other the buildings and avenues of the newer town.
