Ursulines of Quebec

Quebec City, Upper Town. The Ursuline nuns arrived in 1639 under Marie de l'Incarnation and Madame de la Peltrie, and their monastery is often described as the oldest institution of learning for women in North America. It explains something the forts cannot: New France was built as much by religious women running schools as by soldiers and traders. The sisters' first pupils were Indigenous girls. The monastery's museum is an indoor visit that suits a cold day. It also ties into the conquest story, since Montcalm was buried in the chapel by night after the Battle of the Plains of Abraham.