#basseville

Moon (No. 5)

Quebec City (three pics)

Ottawa (four pics)

Switzerland (two pics)

Churches (No. 5)

Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church, Quebec City

St. Andrew's Church, Quebec City

Notre-Dame de Québec Cathedral/ Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec  (five pics)

Place Royal, Quebec City (No. 2)

Gradual transformation of the site    

In 1759 the site was severely damaged in the siege of Québec. After the city was captured by the British, the buildings were quickly rebuilt exactly as before and the square was once again lively and animated.

Over the years, and with the growth of the population, commercial activity extended to other parts of town. Two neighbouring markets soon rivalled the square in importance, including the Champlain market housed in a large stone building on rue du Cul-de-Sac. Many wealthy property owners moved to Upper Town to escape the infectious diseases that came ashore with ships from Europe.

At the turn of the 20th century, brick buildings appeared and floors were added to various stone houses. A modern, five-storey hotel even opened for business. In the 1930s a new bust of Louis XIV was installed, but this did nothing to address the neighbourhood’s rapidly growing poverty. The square had become a mere shadow of its former self.

   A major revitalization project    

An extensive project to redevelop Place-Royale was started in the late 1950s. The authority on the matter at the time was French architect Viollet-le-Duc, who maintained that restoration is a “means to restore to a finished state a building that may in fact never have actually existed at any given time.” The objective was therefore to create beauty while remaining faithful to history.

Half of Place-Royale was restored based on this principle. It is the part most reminiscent of New France, all in stone, on the river side. But the vision was soon challenged, and later work was more in keeping with how the architecture had evolved over time, in accordance with the principles of restoration that prevail today. That is why the buildings on the cliff side show British influences, notably in the use of brick.

   Place-Royale today    

Today Place-Royale provides a comprehensive picture of the site’s rich history. Some of the buildings are evocative of the New France period, while others reflect the British influences, and the recent glass and steel structures represent 21st-century trends.