Archbishop's Palace, Episcopal palace in Old Quebec, Canada
The Archbishop's Palace is a three-storey building of cut stone in a neo-classical vein, with a hipped roof, at 2 rue Port-Dauphin. It stands immediately west of the Notre-Dame de Québec cathedral basilica and north-adjacent to the Séminaire de Québec. Two colonnaded entrances topped by pediments open onto the côte de la Montagne and onto a parking lot to the west.
Construction took place in 1844 and 1845 under Archbishop Joseph Signay, after two properties were bought in 1843; the plans were drawn by architect Thomas Baillairgé. A fire in 1887 destroyed the building's lantern, and architects Joseph-Ferdinand Peachy and François-Xavier Berlinguet then worked on improvements. The diocesan administration occupied the building until it moved to boulevard René-Lévesque.
The palace is the residence of the Archbishop of Quebec, and the diocesan administration was housed here before moving to boulevard René-Lévesque. Popes Paul VI (1951) and John Paul II (1969) visited the building before their pontificates, and Mother Teresa stayed here in 1986 during her visit to Quebec City. Pope Francis resided here from 27 to 29 July 2022 during his penitential pilgrimage concerning abuse of minors in the Canadian Catholic Church.
The palace is not open to the public, so the interior cannot be visited. It stands at 2 rue Port-Dauphin, next to the Notre-Dame de Québec basilica-cathedral and the Séminaire de Québec. Two colonnaded entrances with pediments can be seen from the outside, one on the côte de la Montagne and one facing the parking lot to the west.
The palace is not open to the public, so its role as a papal residence is easy to miss: Paul VI visited in 1951 and John Paul II in 1969, both before their pontificates, and Mother Teresa stayed here in 1986. Pope Francis resided here from 27 to 29 July 2022 during his penitential pilgrimage concerning abuse of minors in the Canadian Catholic Church.
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