Nearly Four Centuries in the Making: Now a Wellness and Preservation Model for the World

The quest for healing vacations has been around for a long time. For thousands of years, seekers of rejuvenation have sought mineral and mud baths to relieve arthritis and other woes, trekked to mountains to gain clarity of the mind and breathe clean air, and also bathed in saltwater for skin and even drank it for digestive track improvements.

Today, wellness tourism is taking a new twist and carving out its own niche market. Although spa vacations continue to be in vogue, the growing travel trend is a vacation that focuses on total wellness that combines mind, body, and spirit.

Le Monastère des Augustines

Enter Le Monastère des Augustines, located in the heart of Quebec City, Canada, which has had its roots in healing for almost 400 years. And now, this nonprofit monastery, which has benefited from $42 million in restoration, has opened its doors to the public.

The monastery now functions as a nondenominational wellness center. There, travelers can have unique experiences in holistic health, combined with restorative stays in a destination that’s mission is also to preserve its heritage.

This is not a spa. There are no beauty treatments like hair styling or manicures. It is not a religious retreat. Rather, the focus is on wellness in the setting of a historic monastery that has been respectfully restored, blending original buildings harmoniously with new additions and welcomes all travelers.

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Back in the day. Photo: Le Monastère des Augustines

Wellness Story Began Almost Four Centuries Ago

The story of Le Monastère des Augustines began on August 1, 1639, with three young sisters, or canonesses, from the Augustinian order—a Catholic religious order devoted to the care of the sick and needy. The three young women traveled by boat from their monastery in Dieppe, France, a port on the English Channel in Normandy, to Quebec City, which had been founded by the French explorer Samuel Champlain only 31 years earlier.

Imagine the scene that they saw with a population of around only 350 settlers. The three—Marie Guenet de Saint-Ignace, Marie Forestier de Saint-Bonaventure, and Anne Le Cointre de Saint-Bernard—set about helping the poor and sick, caring for the body and soul, and also established the first site located in Sillery, which was Canada’s first Indian reservation.

There, the three sisters founded what was to be the first hospital on the continent, north of Mexico. Unfortunately, five years later in 1644, they were forced to move their site to the town of Quebec after numerous attacks by Iroquois Indians.

Later, in 1693, a new hospital, Hôpital-Général de Québec, was built and run by four canonesses. The monastery began there in 1709 and was cloistered until 1965. Over the years, the Augustinian Sisters order founded 12 hospitals that became the foundation of healthcare in Quebec.

Today, 10 sisters remain at Le Monastère des Augustines. Just as their sisters before them, they have a vision for the future: to pass on their heritage to future generations by opening the doors of their home to the public as a special wellness destination.

A Heavenly Stay

The monastery offers two types of rooms: 33 “authentic rooms restored in the spirit of monasticism” and 32 totally redesigned rooms with a contemporary feel. You can experience an antique decorated “cell” with a shared bath, if you would like. Or enjoy the modern private room with a king or queen bed. All beds are ultra-comfortable.

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(Clockwise from top left) Yoga class. Restaurant serving healthy and creative recipes. Interior view of hallway. Photos: Le Monastere des Augustines. Dessert sampled at lunch. Photo: C. Worthington

Rejuvenation Programs

During your stay, you can try all the programs available, such as massage, reflexology, posture alignment, or essentrics, which includes aerobic type, Tai Chi, Pilates, or yoga.

A massage is a must. The monastery’s staff is extremely capable and professional, making you feel as if you’ve died and gone to heaven.

In the spirit of promoting tranquility and relaxation, guests are encouraged to unplug while within the monastery’s confines.

Breakfast is, in fact, held in silence. No one speaks, other than a few giggles, and everyone enjoys the solitude as they get ready for their days. The morning ritual is held, they say, to be “in harmony with the site’s historic vocation.” If you are not a talkative morning person, you will love this.

The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The emphasis is on fresh, local, and healthy cuisine with gluten-free and vegetarian options. Don’t worry, you can have wine and beer from the selection of local products.

A visit to Le Monastère des Augustines is a unique opportunity to refresh your engine and to experience the six values of the community: hospitality, compassion, interiority, humility, respect, and generosity.

Le Monastère des Augustines MAIN ENTRANCE 77, rue des Remparts PEDESTRIAN ENTRANCE 32, rue Charlevoix Québec (Québec) G1R 0C3 Canada

 

Side Trips to Take While in Quebec City

Walking Tour of Quebec City With a Professional Guide

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Tour guides like David Mendel bring history alive with stops such as The Seminary of Quebec, Chateau Frontenac and more. Photo: C. Worthington

Meet David Mendel, author of several books on Quebec (Mendel Guides), lecturer, and guide. He will make the history of the city come alive through his lively lectures and tours.

Visites Mendel 418-580-6662

Île d’Orléans

Take a three-mile drive over to Île d’Orléans, or Orleans Island, crossing the Île d’Orléans bridge, for a sensational view of Quebec City. This quasi-rural island with a population today of 40,000 was treasured by Indians who went to camp and fish there calling it the Enchanted Island. Jacques Cartier explored the island first in 1535, naming it Île de Bascuz (Bacchus Island) because of the enormous number of wild grapes that grew there. There are six villages there, all of which have a “St.” in them—Saint-François, Saint-Jean, Saint-Pierre, Sainte-Famille, Saint-Laurent and Sainte-Pétronille—and are waiting for your exploration.

La Confiturerie Tigidou

You’ve been to wine bars, craft beer halls, but what about a jam bar?

For a unique experience, visit la Confiturerie Tigidou, a small, boutique jam producer with a jam bar that’s located in Saint-Jean-de-l’Île-d’Orléans. We’re told that the name means “everything is fine” by Vincent Paris who greeted us in his jam-making attire, which gave him the appearance of a cross between Philadelphia Eagle quarterback Carson Wentz and a vest-clad, bearded Johnny Depp.

Paris, with his winning smile, invites us into his jam boutique that he runs with his wife, Trudel. There is so much candy for the eyes before you even begin to learn about their jam-making prowess. There are hanging lamps made from jam jars, antique wooden shaker chairs hanging from the walls, old hand-hewn beams, and assorted vintage tables with miscellaneous chairs waiting for jam tasters.

The couple, Île d’Orléans natives, are creative foodies and call themselves sorcerers. “Jam is not rocket science, but jams of sorcerers, that’s tigidou!” is written on their website.

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(Clockwise from top left)Inside the jam boutique with eclectic decor. A selection of Confiturerie Tigidou’s jams. Vincent Paris, Carolyn Worthington and Trudel Paris. The meaning of Tigidou. Photos: C. Worthington

The name, Tigidou, the owners say, stems from a pop culture expression, “C’est tigidou,” which roughly translates as “it’s all good” or “good job!” For the couple, the name serves as a mantra of presenting the best-quality jams while also sharing their love of the land and desire to keep their heritage alive.

The jam boutique is housed in a 200-year-old barn that has transitioned from a retirement home, into a print shop, and into a carpentry shop. The couple certainly had the vision and talent to restore the barn into its new life, which also serves as an Airbnb for eight to 12 people.

Your visit will include a jam tasting and also an opportunity to learn about la Confiturerie Tigidou’s educational garden and see its museum.

The jams are delicious while being very creative through the experimental efforts of the couple who combine different fruit varieties with herbs such as basil and strawberry, sage and blueberry, and also coriander and raspberry.

Some of our favorites were the perfect pairings and taste sensations of blueberry maple, sucre à la crème, and strawberry basil.

La Confiturerie Tigidou is definitely a special stop not to be missed while visiting Quebec City.

You’ll probably want to load up on jars of jam, but if you don’t want to carry the jars home, you can order online: Confiturerie-Tigidou.myshopify.com.

La Confiturerie Tigidou 5508 Chemin Royal Saint-Jean-de-l’Île-d’Orléans, QC G0A 3W0, Canada Tigidou.ca

Cassis Monna & Filles

Blackcurrant, an astonishing fruit, a family affair …

So rightfully claims the Monna family on its website for Cassis Monna & Filles, a fifth-generation business boasting a winery, gourmet product boutique, restaurant, and dairy bar. The underlying theme: the fragrant blackcurrant.

Blackcurrants are not to be confused with blackberries. Blackcurrants are more like blueberries in shape while blackberries resemble raspberries.

The Monna story began in 1872 with the founding of a distillery of fine wines and spirits by Louis Monna in Hérault, France. His son, Emile, went on to create Source Monnaguette, creating specialty alcohol and lemonades.

Fourth-generation Bernard Monna came to Île d’Orléans in the early 1970s where he discovered an ideal climate for growing blackcurrants—damp, rich soil near the river, devoid of much of the spring frost.

Today, Bernard Monna is passing along his expertise to his two daughters, Catherine and Anne, who have worked in the family business for 15-some years. The entrepreneurial daughters are putting their creative touches to everything from the La Monnaguette restaurant on a terrace overlooking the river, to the Dairy Bar that serves 18 amazing flavors of gelato and sorbets. Blackcurrant-vanilla softie their most popular summer favorite.

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(Clockwise from top left) Daughters added their creative touch to the winery with a purple-toned mural of their father. Steps leading up to restaurant decorated with names of the families children. Blackcurrant plant on display. Picnic area for visitors.

The young women’s touches can be seen in the distillery with fanciful painting on the cement wall and distillery barrels that are painted pink.

The blackcurrant makes not only an extraordinary wine and aperitif, known as cassis, but it is also touted for its health benefits. Blackcurrants are rich sources of vitamin C (three times more than in oranges and twice as much as in kiwis); rich in vitamins B6, B9, and E; Calcium; iron; potassium; and fiber. They are moderately sweet.

Be sure to make time to have lunch on the beautiful terrace overlooking the river and to stroll through the “ecomusuem” and gift shop.

Cassis Monna & Filles CassisMonna.com 1225 Chemin Royal Saint-Pierre-de-l’Île-d’Orléans QC G0A 4E0

Zip Line at Le Parc de la Chute-Montmorency Perched at the top of the cliff, near the panoramic staircase, the zip line lets two people simultaneously cross the cove of the falls, some 272 feet high (98 feet higher than Niagara Falls), almost 1,000 feet across. Just make sure that you get a good start on the zip line, so you don’t stall in the middle as we saw one person do!

For the faint at heart, you can take the cable car up to the top of the falls, watch, and then walk down. No matter what route you choose, you will be rewarded with a quintessential breath-taking view!

The park is perfect for bike rides, hiking, or picnicking. Open year-round, there isn’t a fee to enter the park, but there is one for the cable car and zip lining.

Le Parc de la Chute-Montmorency Sepaq.com/ct/pcm 5300 Boulevard Sainte-Anne Ville de Quebec, QC G1C 1S1

Breakfast Recommendation: Restaurant la Bûche

What would a visit to Quebec City be without a taste of maple syrup? Head over to Restaurant la Bûche for an authentic, hearty Quebec breakfast in a sugar shack-style restaurant.

Try the crêpes sucrées, caramel de suc’ à crème avec bleuets frais (sweet crepes with caramel and blueberries); pains dorés, pommes caramélisées (French toast with maple caramelized apples); or Grandpa’s Oatmeal with almond milk, fresh fruit, caramelized apples, chia seeds, grilled almonds and of course, maple syrup!

Restaurant la Bûche 49, Rue Saint-Louis, Quebec, G1R 3Z2 418-694-7272

Dinner Recommendation: Le Graffiti

Warm and inviting, Chef Yannick Fortin offers authentic French and Italian cuisine with a creative flair. Located on the trendy Avenue Cartier, the restaurant is the perfect location for lunch or dinner after visiting galleries and shops.

Try the tuna tartare and tataki or the trio of salmon tartare as an appetizer, the pan-fried veal sweetbreads, or the Graffiti veal scaloppini.

Le Graffiti RestaurantGraffiti.com/en 1191, Avenue Cartier, Quebec, G1R 2S9 418-640-5802 Info@RestaurantGraffiti.com