Tourist Attraction in Quebec:
Basilique-cathédrale Notre-Dame de Québec
The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Quebec, is the parent church of the Archdiocese of Quebec, the oldest American bishopric in northern Mexico. It is located in Quebec city, in Rue de Buade. The church, named after Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix (Our Lady of Peace), was erected in 1647 on the site of a previous chapel. In 1664 it became a parish house and in 1674 elevated to the dignity of the cathedral of the new diocese of Quebec (archdiocese from 1819 and metropolitan seat from 1844). The title of a minor basilica was given to the temple in 1874 by Pope Pius IX. The cathedral was destroyed for the first time under the British bombings in 1759, rebuilt, again destroyed in 1922, following a fire and rebuilt in 1923. The interior of the cathedral contains several works of art. Of great interest are the golden canopy, the bishop's chair and the lamp, the latter gift of Louis XIV, the presbytery, and the stained glass windows. The cathedral also contains three Casavant bodies. Several characters are buried in the crypt, including Quebec's bishops and four governors of New France: Louis de Buade (1622-1698), Louis-Hector de Callières (1648-1703), Jacques-Pierre de Taffanel de La Jonquière (1685 -1752), Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil (1698-1778). In the chapel of the cathedral are the remains of the blessed François de Montmorency-Laval (1623-1708), the first bishop of Quebec.