Musée de l'Amérique francophone facts for kids
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| Established | 22 October 1806 |
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| Location | 2, côte de la Fabrique Quebec City, Quebec G1R 3V6 |
| Type | National Historic Site of Canada |
The Musée de l'Amérique francophone (Museum of French-Speaking America) is a special place in Quebec City, Canada. It's one of the oldest museums in the country! It used to be called the Musée de l'Amérique française.
This museum is full of amazing things. It has old books, some from the 1500s. It also has items from a place called Cyprus, beautiful paintings, and even a copy of a famous bird book. You can also see a recreation of an old organ from a big church in Quebec City. Since 1995, the museum's collection has been looked after by the Musée de la civilisation.
Contents
A Look at the Museum's History
The museum first opened its doors on October 22, 1806. Back then, it was known as the Musée du Séminaire. This makes it the oldest museum in all of Canada!
In 1993, its name changed to Musée de l'Amérique française. Then, in 1995, it became part of a larger group of museums, the Musée de la civilisation. To make its image more modern, the museum changed its name again in 2013. It became the Musée de l'Amérique francophone, which means "Museum of French-Speaking America."
Where the Museum Is Located
The museum is right next to the Séminaire de Québec in Quebec City. A long time ago, in 1838, an architect named Thomas Baillairgé designed the museum building. He even planned its unique round front.
There's also an old chapel connected to the museum building. It's called the Chapelle du Musée de l'Amérique francophone. This chapel is a special historical site. Today, it's used for meetings and events. The museum is part of the bigger Musée de la civilisation group of buildings.
What You Can See Inside: The Collection
In 1991, the museum had about 110,000 different items! When it first opened, many of its objects were used to help teach science.
The museum's collection includes many interesting things:
- Old coins and stamps
- Fossils from long ago
- Beautiful paintings and statues
- Prints and rare books
- Shiny gold and silverware
The museum also has very old documents and rare books. These are kept in a special area called the French America Reference Centre. In 2007, some of these important archives were added to the Memory of the World Register. This is a list of documents that are very important to human history.
Items from Cyprus
The museum has a collection of artifacts from Cyprus. These are ancient objects from a country far away. In 1966, Jean Des Gagniers gave 40 pieces to the museum. Later, in 1991, Louis-Albert Vachon donated 60 more. These items come from different time periods, from the Neolithic (New Stone Age) to the Medieval times. They include things made from clay and even a sculpture.
Art and Rare Books
You can see paintings by famous artists like Joseph Légaré, Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté, and Jean Paul Lemieux.
The museum also has a very special copy of The Birds of America. This is a famous book by John James Audubon that shows many different birds. It's a first edition, which means it was one of the very first copies ever printed. You can also find a copy of the Encyclopédie, a very important book from the past.
Another unique item is a copy of the first book of hours made for Henri III of France. This was a special prayer book for his religious group.
The Chapel Organ
In 2009, a company called Juget-Sinclair built a special organ for the museum's chapel. This organ is a recreation of an organ that was built in 1753 for the Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec. Sadly, the original organ was destroyed in 1759. The new organ is placed on the second floor balcony inside the museum.
Special Book Collection
In 1964, when Université Laval moved to a new location, it gave many old books to the museum. This included books published before 1920. It also included books from a special, restricted section of the library. This section was known as Enfer, which means 'Hell' in French. These books were considered "forbidden" or restricted for various reasons in the past.
This special collection has 603 books, mostly printed in the 1700s and 1800s. About half of them are in French, a quarter in English, and the rest in other languages. There are also over 900 smaller papers and booklets. Some of these books are from the 1500s and include stories from explorers in the 1600s and 1700s.
Some of these books even have notes written by members of the Séminaire de Québec. These notes explain why a book was placed in this restricted section. You might also see parts of books that were crossed out or had ink stains. The collection also has letters from religious leaders. These letters either said "no" to people wanting to read certain books or gave them special permission.
Museum Exhibitions
The museum often has different exhibitions for visitors to explore. Here are some examples:
- L'Œuvre du Séminaire de Québec: This exhibit shows the work and history of the Séminaire de Québec.
- Partir sur la route des francophones (On the Road: The Francophone Odyssey): This exhibition tells the story of French-speaking people. It shows how they traveled from places like Acadia, the St. Lawrence River, and Louisiana to other parts of North America.
- Révélations, l'art pour comprendre le monde: This is an art exhibition. It was created in 2013 to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the Séminaire de Québec.
See also
In Spanish: Museo de la América Francesa para niños
