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On the night of February 1, 1854, a fire broke out in the northeast wing of the Québec City parliament building. Flames spread quickly throughout the building. Despite the panic, seminary students were able to save nearly half the library’s books. Stone from the ruins was used to build a hall at the Champlain Market.
1842 - 1860

Québec City, a city of power!

In 1841, Upper and Lower Canada were merged to form the Province of Canada. Québec City lost its position as capital to Montréal. In 1852, Québec City regained this status, alternating with Toronto for several years. A new parliament building was erected in Québec City for the occasion. However, it accidentally burned down in 1854. Another parliament building was inaugurated in Québec City in 1859 but, in 1883, it too burned down. By 1884, however, Québec City’s elected officials were sitting in a new parliamentary building. Come and discover these parliament buildings over the years!

Fire in the parliament on February 1, 1854

The Illustrated London News On the night of February 1, 1854, a fire broke out in the northeast wing of the Québec City parliament building. Flames spread quickly throughout the building. Despite the panic, seminary students were able to save nearly half the library’s books. Stone from the ruins was used to build a hall at the Champlain Market.
Chronoscope What do you notice in the image? (unilingual French for a limited time) Source: Ville de Québec Document in the public domain (free of copyright) - Image from the Illustrated London News, June 25, 1881. 1854