Place Royale

Welcome to the heart of the city during the days of New France. This is where Samuel de Champlain settled, building his Habitation—a structure that served as a fort, a warehouse, a trading post, and a residence all at once. You can see its outline marked on the ground in front of the church Notre-Dame-des-Victoires. This is the oldest church in Quebec, and its name commemorates two major French victories over English forces—in 1691 and 1711. Today, it’s a National Historic Site and one of Old Quebec’s iconic landmarks. This square was already the commercial hub of the city in the early 17th century. In 1682, a devastating fire swept through the area, and residents were required to rebuild their homes in stone, in the very style you see today, with firewalls between them to prevent future disasters. A few years later, Intendant Champigny decided this lively square was the perfect place to fulfill King Louis XIV’s wish to have a royal square in his colonies. Champigny had a bust of the King brought over from France and installed it in the centre of the square—giving it the name Place Royale. The statue didn’t stay there for long—it got in the way of merchants and their carts. Besides, the city would soon fall into British hands, and they had little interest in displaying a statue of the French King. The King returned to the square in 1928, when France gifted the city of Quebec a bronze replica of the famous bust sculpted by Bernini. The square underwent major restoration in the 1950s and now stands as a beautifully preserved window into the time of New France. Steven Spielberg even chose it as a filming location for Catch Me If You Can here, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, where the square doubled as a quaint village in northern France.