Location and Recognition

Background

For more than 200 years of French and then English rule in Quebec, the Saint-Louis forts and châteaux served as the official residence and seat of power for most governors.

Founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain, Quebec City was the capital of the French colony until 1759, when British troops conquered it. The city and the colony were brought into the British empire in 1763 by the treatise of Paris. Canada and the city of Quebec remained an English colony until the confederation of Canada in 1867.

Location of the forts and châteaux

Remnants of the Saint-Louis forts and châteaux are located at the top of the cliff overlooking the Saint Lawrence River, immediately beneath the Dufferin Terrace and next to the Château Frontenac. This is the heart of the Historic District of Old Quebec, which was included on UNESCO's list of world heritage sites in 1985.

The location of the forts and châteaux is indicated in yellow and the upper and lower gardens in red.

The boundaries of the Château Frontenac hotel appear in green, while the blue outline shows the location of the Saint-Louis forts and châteaux. The bounds of the actual national historic site are shown in red.

Recognition of the forts and châteaux

In November 2001, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada recognized the national historic significance of the Saint-Louis forts and châteaux.

Timeline

The Forts , The Châteaux , The Gardens, and The Terraces