HISTORY OF THE SÉMINAIRE DE QUÉBEC COLLECTIONS The Journey and Heritage of an Institution Over a period of more than three centuries, the Séminaire de Québec has put together an impressive heritage composed of treasures of all kinds - works of art, silverwork, archives, rare and old books, scientific instruments and more. The Musée de l'Amérique française invites you to admire the most significant objects from these collections in a permanent exhibition entitled History of the Séminaire de Québec Collections. The spirit of the exhibition The exhibition, by means of reference objects, enables visitors to discover the scope and diversity of the collections amassed by the Séminaire over the years, for educational purposes as well as for worship and propagation of the faith. An astounding range of fields is represented - from physics to ornithology, and from botany to foreign ethnology. The exhibition comprises four exhibition halls. The first presents an overview of the different types of collections, while the three satellite rooms or "cabinets" contain objects from the principal collection sectors linked to the main elements of the Séminaire's mission, namely religion, education, and culture. The fine flowers and nature of the collections A superb set of objects bearing representations of flowers, animals, plants and minerals illustrates the archives, the old library and the seventeen other collections, including the furniture, textile, coin and stamp collections. This presentation provides an excellent overview of the priests' fields of interest, and demonstrates the wealth, scope and variety of the Séminaire's collections. Religious cabinet: Training in religious values The priests at the Séminaire de Québec celebrated the grandeur of the divine with a certain decorum that is illustrated by the splendour of their liturgical garments and ornaments, and also by their silverwork collection. The cabinet sparkles with a fire radiated from these superb pieces, which recall the Séminaire's importance as a seat of propagation of the faith, the Séminaire's primary mission on American soil. Fine arts cabinet: Training in taste and the love of bben eauty The Séminaire's priests were unconditional lovers of the arts. They began to enrich their collection at the time of Monseigneur de Laval, in the 17th century, and it went on to become one of the institution's jewels. Its composition, variety and wealth made it an instrument of education within the institution, and an instrument of social prestige for the community. A number of the paintings in the collection had a major influence on new generations of artists in Québec. The works selected for the exhibition offer a panorama of styles and histories, and are representative of the main artists in the collection, including Joseph Légaré, Antoine Plamondon, Théophile Hamel and Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Côté. Scientific cabinet: witness to scientific progress This collection was the fruit of empassioned efforts by the Seminary priests, who firmly believed that practice was vital to education. Fathers Demers, Holmes, Hamel and Laflamme were the main instigators of this method. Always on the lookout for the development of new scientific processes, they enriched their collections and used them for educational purposes. Their passion helped the Séminaire de Québec to earn a reputation comparable to that of the best European and American schools. The scientific component of the exhibition contains approximately twenty-five scientific instruments, some of which are now very rare. They include the Atwood machine manufactured in London circa 1836, which was used to test the laws of movement and falling bodies, and the Wimshurst electrostatic machine manufactured in Chicago circa 1896 used in a number of experiments, the most spectacular of which was the production of miniature lightning bolts. Visitors to the History of the Séminaire de Québec Collections exhibition travel back in time to the origins of the collections, follow their development, and relive the adventures of teachers, wise men and collectors who were driven by their passion for knowledge, teaching and history. Serge Poulin Issued: October 22, 1996, revised May 4, 1999. © Musée de la civilisation