{"id":14638,"date":"2025-10-14T11:25:46","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T15:25:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/monastere.ca\/?p=14638"},"modified":"2025-10-15T14:04:34","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T18:04:34","slug":"the-cloistered-life-of-the-augustinian-sisters-revealed-through-their-collections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/monastere.ca\/en\/culture-2\/the-cloistered-life-of-the-augustinian-sisters-revealed-through-their-collections\/","title":{"rendered":"The cloistered life of the Augustinian sisters revealed through their collections"},"content":{"rendered":"
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From the 17th to the 20th century, the Augustinian sisters of Qu\u00e9bec lived a cloistered life. From the Council of Trent (1545-1563) until the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), cloistered life was a requirement for all female religious communities seeking recognition by the Catholic Church. The archives and collections that the Augustinian sisters have bequeathed trace the history of this lifestyle, mysterious to the modern gaze.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

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What was the daily purpose of religious enclosure? To withdraw physically from the outside world in order to foster prayer, discipline, and community life. These rules certainly shaped the way the Augustinian sisters lived and their perception of the world.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

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A challenging establishment in New France<\/h5>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
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When they arrived in Qu\u00e9bec in 1639, the Augustinian sisters faced immense challenges. Their mission was to found the first hospital in North America, while also respecting the Church\u2019s monastic rules. At that time, nothing was yet in place to enforce enclosure as ordered by the Council of Trent.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

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Because of the lack of appropriate infrastructure, the Church granted the Augustinian sisters certain flexibility until permanent buildings could be constructed in accordance with monastic rules. Over the decades, the monasteries grew and became more structured, enabling the sisters to truly live in enclosed spaces, separated from the world. A cloistered life now revealed through many objects and archives.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

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Symbolic objects of the cloister: material memory of an intangible heritage<\/h5>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
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Today, Le Monast\u00e8re\u2019s collections preserve numerous objects that bear witness to that era. These artifacts are not simply material remnants: they illustrate the strong link between spiritual life, religious discipline, and a strong communal identity.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

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Cloister grilles<\/h6>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
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These grilles (screens) recall that once, any encounter with the outside world was carefully managed. In the parlor, in the church, or even in the hospital\u2019s pharmacy\u2014places where verbal communication was permitted\u2014these grilles served as a physical boundary between the Augustinian sisters and visitors.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Dress ceremony, 20th century, Collection of the Augustinian monastery of the H\u00f4tel-Dieu de Gasp\u00e9.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
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Monastery bells<\/h6>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
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Sister ringing the bell, around 1980, Fonds monast\u00e8re des Augustines de l’H\u00f4tel-Dieu de Chicoutimi.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Located in various places within monasteries, the bells regulated daily life. Each ringing announced specific moments: prayer, meals, work, or mass. Even the arrival of a doctor in the monastery\u2019s infirmary required a distinct signal, inviting the Augustines to veil themselves more completely during these rare external contacts.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

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The mortuary shroud<\/h6>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
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Shroud, 20th century, linen, silk, and dye. Le Monast\u00e8re des Augustines, collection of the H\u00f4tel-Dieu de Qu\u00e9bec monastery.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Used during the perpetual profession ceremony, the mortuary shroud symbolized the total break with lay life. This textile piece was laid upon the new sister, who was prostrate on the floor. It was a way of witnessing her total commitment to the community and to God. This ceremony represented the final stage of passage into full community life after postulancy, novitiate, and temporary profession.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

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A living memory at the heart of Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s religious heritage<\/h5>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
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Even though the cloistered life of the Augustinian sisters now belongs to the past, this moment in history lives on through the heritage preserved by the community. Le Monast\u00e8re\u2019s collections ensure the preservation and transmission of this patrimonial legacy.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

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To preserve and promote this heritage is a way to recognize and honor the spiritual and cultural legacy<\/a> of these religious women. It is also a way to understand how their life\u2014both isolated and outward-looking through their role as caregivers\u2014helped to shape our community.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

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Text inspired by Marie-\u00c8ve Boulay’s article<\/a>, written as part of her final internship for her Specialized Graduate Diploma in Museology.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

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For more information on Le Monast\u00e8re’s archives: https:\/\/archives.monastere.ca\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Augustinians archives become part of the Canada Memory of the World Register<\/h3>\n

A tribute to the Augustinians\u2019 legacy of caring for a unique documentary heritage For more than 375 years, the Augustinians were the creators and guardians of unsuspected treasures. Thanks to a rich heritage preserved over the centuries, the Monast\u00e8re des Augustines is now a unique place of history as well as an exceptional research location […]<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n Read the article \n <\/use>\n <\/svg>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n

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The Beginnings of a Monastic Separation<\/h3>\n

Did you know that in the beginning, the sisters of the H\u00f4pital g\u00e9n\u00e9ral de Qu\u00e9bec monastery were totally dependent on the H\u00f4tel-Dieu de Qu\u00e9bec community? The H\u00f4pital g\u00e9n\u00e9ral only became a distinct and independent entity in May 1701, eight years after the arrival of the Augustinians. Archivist Audrey Julien retraces the story behind the separation.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n Read the article \n <\/use>\n <\/svg>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n

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Protecting an Archival Heritage: A Question of Trust<\/h3>\n

The bequest of a heritage, whether material or immaterial, rests on an important emotion, even an attitude or a state of mind: trust. The Augustinian Sisters donated the H\u00f4tel-Dieu de Qu\u00e9bec monastery with tens of thousands of objects and documents with the assurance that their intangible intent would be respected and preserved for generations to […]<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n Read the article \n <\/use>\n <\/svg>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From the 17th to the 20th century, the Augustinian sisters of Qu\u00e9bec lived a cloistered life. From the Council of Trent (1545-1563) until the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), cloistered life was a requirement for all female religious communities seeking recognition by the Catholic Church. The archives and collections that the Augustinian sisters have bequeathed trace […]","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[146,1],"tags":[],"authors":[251],"class_list":["post-14638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culture-2","category-non-classifiee","authors-le-monastere-des-augustines-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe cloistered life of the Augustinian sisters<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n