Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

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Quebec Seminary collection,
1623–1800 (17th–19th centuries)
Inscribed 2007
What is it
The archives of the Quebec Seminary, founded in 1663 to
train priests to convert and minister to the indigenous
people of Quebec, a diocese which then covered most of
North America. The collection dates from 1623 to 1800.
Why was it inscribed
Quebec Seminary was central to the birth and
development of Quebec and Canada. Its documents
form an irreplaceable part of Canadian and North
American history and culture and are particularly
valuable as a source for the study of North
American colonial history. They offer a window into
the exchanges between the Old and New Worlds
and into Quebec’s central role in that process
of cross-fertilization.
Where is it
Musée Canadien des Civilisations, Quebec, Canada
Quebec Seminary was founded in 1663 and its records
show the dynamic processes of migration and the
introduction, infl uence and continuity of French culture
and Catholic spirituality in North America. They also reveal
their interaction both with indigenous cultures and with
other cultures of European origin.
The seminary archives and library were established
early on and contain in particular documents produced
or received during the French regime (1534–1763) and
the fi rst decades of the British regime (1763–1867). They
also include a part of the library of the Jesuit College, the
fi rst institution of higher education founded in North
America (1653–1765).
As the archive is extensive, the documents chosen for
inclusion on the Register are those most representative
and signifi cant for the development of the French colony
of New France, Quebec City, Quebec and Canadian society
as a whole. The dates of these documents represent the
beginnings of the New World for the French in 1623 up
Quebec Seminary �
224 Quebec Seminary collection, 1623–1800 (17th–19th centuries)
to the ending of French hegemony and the British takeover
in 1800.
They fall naturally into several thematic series.
Some relate to the foundation of the seminary and
its administration and account books, its properties
and rights. Its spiritual and pastoral duties and related
administration are included, as are manuscripts from