Old Québec
Notre-Dame de Québec stands at the center of episcopal and parish life, with Saint François de Laval’s tomb in a dedicated funeral chapel.
On the ground Walk the cathedral and its neighboring streets as one compact prayerful visit.
Québec City
The cathedral and Saint François de Laval anchor Catholic Old Québec.
Old Québec preserves deep continuity between seventeenth-century Catholic life and the cathedral’s worship today. Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré is a nearby pilgrimage for another day.
- Region
- North America
- Suggested time
- One day
- Places
- 1
- Saints
- 1
Orientation
How the city gathers
The cathedral is both the bishop’s church and Laval’s burial place. Its chapels and reliquary gather a longer witness, while the nearby Côte-de-Beaupré opens a distinct Saint Anne pilgrimage beyond the city.
Sacred Geography
Read the city through prayer
The cathedral is both the bishop’s church and Laval’s burial place. Its chapels and reliquary gather a longer witness, while the nearby Côte-de-Beaupré opens a distinct Saint Anne pilgrimage beyond the city.
Côte-de-Beaupré beyond the city
Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré is a distinct shrine east of Québec City, worthy of a day of its own.
On the ground Plan transport separately; the shrine is not inside Québec City.
Sacred geography
Choose a way into the city
Living Catholic worship
Saint and pilgrimage
Essential places
The places that carry this city
Begin with the places where the Church still prays.
church
Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec
OLD QUÉBEC
The living cathedral and the burial place of Saint François de Laval.
Visit plans
Plan your time in Québec City
Plan 1
A focused visit
Start in Notre-Dame de Québec: pray in the cathedral, visit Laval’s tomb, and let the streets of Old Québec carry the memory of the early Church in New France.
Plan 2
A day of prayer
Old Québec preserves deep continuity between seventeenth-century Catholic life and the cathedral’s worship today. Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré is a nearby pilgrimage for another day.
Plan 3
Continue along the St. Lawrence
Follow the three-day Catholic Québec pilgrimage guide to the next shrine and city.
Practical, not booking
Before you go
Consult each church’s official schedule before travel; worship and visiting hours may differ.
Allow prayer to set the pace rather than trying to collect buildings.
Connected saints
A saint within the city’s life
Saint François de Laval gives this sacred geography a human life and a place to pray.
Photo credits
- Québec City; Québec City city hero. Photo: Thomas1313, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Source. CC BY-SA 4.0.
- The built setting of Catholic prayer in Catholic Québec City.; Read the city through prayer. Photo: Wilfredor, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. Source. CC0.
- Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec. Photo: Marie Bournonville, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Source. CC BY-SA 4.0.