Celebrating 10 years of Le Monastère des Augustines
An anniversary is a time to celebrate, but also a time to reflect on how far we’ve come! Discover key moments and meaningful milestones that shed light on the story of Le Monastère des Augustines.
Did you know?
Here are some questions and answers to test your knowledge about Le Monastère.
Yes, absolutely! Although the people of Quebec are the beneficiaries of the Augustinian Sisters’ legacy, Le Monastère des Augustines is open to everyone, no matter where you’re from. By taking part in our activities, you’re supporting a meaningful cause — every surplus is reinvested into our mission. Your contribution helps family caregivers, healthcare workers, and companions of the sick find rest and renewal through a deeply meaningful connection to history.
Today, in 2025, fewer than forty Augustinian Sisters remain in Quebec, living in three monasteries — some of them in a wing adjoining Le Monastère des Augustines. Let’s remember that nearly 1,800 Augustinian Sisters have worked throughout Quebec since the beginning of the French presence in North America, including some 650 at the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec monastery. These women laid the foundations for today’s healthcare system in Quebec by creating twelve monastery-hospitals across the province.
Yes, in a way! Renovation delays led to the opening of Le Monastère being postponed twice. In a meaningful twist of fate, the doors finally opened on August 1st — the very same date the three founding Augustinian Sisters arrived in Canada by ship from Dieppe, France. A powerful symbol, echoing the beginning of their mission centuries earlier.
One Year, Countless Moments at Le Monastère
What does Le Monastère des Augustines’ team accomplish in a year? These 2024 numbers offer a glimpse into everything that unfolds within our walls over the course of 365 days.
12
The number of employees actively involved in the sustainable development committee.
118
The number of activities offered by Le Monastère des Augustines as part of its cultural and wellness program.
1200
The number of artifacts from the 12 monastery-hospitals that have been documented and integrated into the database of Le Monastère des Augustines.
1225
The number of 24-hour respite stays (individual and group) for caregivers.
24 129
The number of pages of documents belonging to the Augustinian Sisters that have been digitized by the Archive Center’s team.
28 001
The number of meals eaten at Le Vivoir, including silent breakfasts, lunches at our take-out counter and self-service buffet dinners.
Over the past 10 years
Celebrating 10 years of Le Monastère des Augustines allows us to realize just how much the former cloister has evolved since it first opened to the public! Here are 10 highlights that show how much Le Monastère’s team has accomplished between 2015 and 2025.
Major investments by the Government of Quebec, the Government of Canada, the City of Quebec and the Augustinian Sisters have enabled the non-profit organization Le Monastère des Augustines to come into being. This living place of memory now includes a 65-room immersive lodging experience, a museum, a restaurant, cultural and wellness activities, massage therapy, an archive center, a museum reserve, a boutique and much more.
This prestigious media outlet calls Le Monastère the best destination for “mental and physical reboot”. This recognition, awarded less than a year after the place opened, shows how the experience offered at Le Monastère can be relevant for a person’s global health.
Le Monastère is the third hotel in the province of Quebec to be awarded the maximum number of keys for this internationally recognized certification. In 2024, Le Monastère was also awarded a “Biosphere Certified” label, testifying to its ongoing commitment to putting sustainable development at the heart of its practices.
This online tool makes it possible to find photographs of the Sisters’ community life, digitized copies of numerous written documents and, since 2023, descriptive sheets of artifacts from Le Monastère’s museum reserve. This major transmission project was made possible thanks to Québecor, Bibliothèques et Archives nationales du Québec, and Bibliothèques et Archives Canada.
This support from the provincial government, in addition to donations and a fundraising campaign, enables Le Monastère’s team to meet the growing demand for individual respite stays for caregivers. Between 2019 and 2025, Le Monastère’s caregivers program grew significantly, offering many group respite stays, wellness days, sharing communities, individual support, workshops, support groups and more.
These nine Augustinian Sisters invite the public to support the Fiducie du patrimoine culturel des Augustines, enabling Le Monastère to care for those who care for the sick and vulnerable. That year, this compassionate movement raised over $140,000.
Despite the difficult context, this invaluable collaboration enables the CHUL’s Centre mère-enfant Soleil to continue its support for families, and Le Monastère to pursue its activities and social mission.
Le Vivoir means additional space to offer healthy meals to more guests, in a renewed atmosphere. The principles of Le Monastère’s kitchen, meanwhile, have not changed with the renovations: priority is given to local and organic produce, no processed foods and slow cooking to preserve all the flavours and nutrients. Eating at Le Vivoir means eating with a clear conscience and a great respect for the planet!
They are among the 64 new items of documentary heritage in the five continents to be added to the register in 2023. UNESCO thus recognizes the “international interest and exceptional value of this documentary heritage” for humanity. These archives recount the contribution of hundreds of women devoted to caring for the sick and building health establishments that are still active today, from the very first one founded in Quebec City in 1639.
The Augustinian Sisters have given us much more than a material legacy! They have also passed on an intangible legacy, which has influenced Le Monastère des Augustines’ core values. The Augustinians Sisters’ values of compassion, respect and generosity influence our team, who does its best to care for the guests in a spirit of welcome and kindness.
Together, let’s continue to write this story that began in the 17th century, and allow future generations benefit from this important and unique legacy. Don’t hesitate to make Le Monastère des Augustines your own: it has been bequeathed to you, so it’s YOUR monastery, and it needs your help to continue to be a living, breathing place of memory!
Let’s celebrate together
How will Le Monastère des Augustines celebrate its 10th anniversary? A free public event will be held on August 1st, 2025; an occasion to celebrate and say thank you to all those who have supported us since 2015. Stay tuned! More details will follow on social media and in Le Monastère’s newsletter.
We’ve also decided to offer a special treat to guests staying at Le Monastère in 2025. This year, a postcard signed by Quebec cartoonist Michel Rabagliati awaits each of our guests in their authentic or contemporary room. His famous character, Paul, has also visited Le Monastère!
A burst of gratitude
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who has helped Le Monastère des Augustines grow over the past 10 years. Builders, donors, visitors, partners, collaborators and employees: you are the heart of Le Monastère! It is thanks to your support, your curiosity and your commitment that we can bring to life the Augustinian Sisters’ desire to make this monastery a living place of memory. None of this would be possible without you. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU!
