Aux Trois Couvents

Aux Trois Couvents is a history and archaeology museum located in Château-Richer, Quebec, Canada, within the Capitale-Nationale region. Formerly known as the Centre d'interprétation de la Côte-de-Beaupré, the institution focuses on the geography, socio-economic history, culture, and heritage of the Côte-de-Beaupré region, one of the earliest cradles of French settlement in North America. As a non-profit organization certified by the Ministry of Culture and Communications of Quebec and recognized by the La Côte-de-Beaupré Regional County Municipality, it serves as a regional hub for heritage dissemination. The museum occupies the third Château-Richer convent, situated on a classified archaeological site along the Route de la Nouvelle-France, one of the oldest roads in Quebec. It offers permanent and temporary exhibitions alongside cultural and educational activities.

The institution was created in 1984 at the instigation of the La Côte-de-Beaupré Regional County Municipality, initially operating under the name Centre d'interprétation de la Côte-de-Beaupré (CICB). It was first established on the second floor of the Moulin du Petit-Pré in Château-Richer. In 2000, the organization acquired the old Château-Richer convent. Following restoration and renovation, the museum moved into the former convent, quadrupling its exhibition and reception space. In 2016, the organization officially changed its name to Aux Trois Couvents to better reflect its historical and archaeological focus. The museum has been recognized and financially sustained by the Ministry of Culture and Communications of Quebec, and received recognition from the regional county municipality in 1996.

The museum's collection and interpretive programs center on the archaeology, history, and heritage of the Côte-de-Beaupré region from the era of New France to the present. Its scope encompasses the evolution of rural life along the St. Lawrence River, the seigneurial system, traditional trades, family farms, and the role of religious orders in education, healthcare, and agricultural development. The institution preserves and shares the collective memory of the area through archival documents, objects of devotion, and archaeological artifacts unearthed from on-site excavations. It also provides access to historical resources that illuminate local family histories and ancestral ties, interpreting parish life and land records to contextualize the migration and settlement patterns of the region.

The museum's permanent exhibitions include Regards sur la Côte-de-Beaupré, inaugurated in 2013, which provides a thematic social and historical overview of the region from the seventeenth century to today, spanning from the Montmorency Falls to Cap Tourmente. Site archéologique des Vieux-Couvents d'hier à aujourd'hui displays archaeological artifacts recovered from the site and features glass-covered pits in the floor that reveal the original foundations of the first two convents. Sur les traces de l'archéologie details the archaeological methods used since 1998 and the historical context of the site. Olivier Le Tardif highlights the first seigneur of Château-Richer and his role in the seventeenth-century settlement of New France. La Classe d'antan is a recreation of a typical 1912 classroom where visitors can learn about early twentieth-century teaching methods. The museum also presents temporary exhibitions highlighting regional cultural identity and local artists.

The museum is housed in the third Château-Richer convent, a building constructed beginning in 1907 that included a chapel, kitchen, dormitory, and housing for nuns. This structure replaced the second convent, built in 1829 on the original foundations but demolished in 1906 due to deterioration from recurrent flooding, poor drainage, and disease. The first convent on the site was commissioned in 1694 by François de Laval, the first bishop of New France, and served as a girls' school until it was burned down by British forces under General James Wolfe in 1759. Before any convent existed, the land adjacent to the St. Lawrence River hosted a windmill constructed around 1655, the foundations of which were uncovered during archaeological digs in 1998. The convents-de-Château-Richer archaeological site was classified as a heritage site by the Ministry of Culture and Communications in 2015. The third convent was transferred to the museum organization in 2002 and underwent subsequent renovations.

Aux Trois Couvents is located at 7976, avenue Royale in Château-Richer, Quebec. The museum is open seasonally, with varying hours: from June to September it operates Monday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and from October to May it operates Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday through Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The site is closed from December 19 to January 6. Admission fees are structured for different visitors, with adults at six dollars, seniors at five dollars, students at four dollars, and free entry for children seventeen years and under. Group rates are available with reservations. The facility offers free outdoor parking for cars, bicycles, and buses, and provides services in both English and French. Beyond its exhibitions, the site functions as a community gathering place, hosting themed tours, workshops, talks, and intergenerational events that celebrate local culture.