A few weeks ago, I was in Quebec City, visiting friends, and I took the opportunity to check out two literary places in the old town: the Morrin Centre and the Maison de la littérature. The Morrin Centre was built between 1808 and 1813 to serve as a prison for the Scottish community. It closed its doors in 1867 due to overcrowding, and was converted into a college for English Protestants. It also became home to the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec. Morrin College closed in 1902, but the LHSQ remained, and converted the building into a cultural centre with a museum and event rooms.
Morrin College included a library that is still here today. It is a small and cozy space with comfortable armchairs, as well as tables and chairs. It consists of the main room with an upper-level gallery and a smaller room on the side. The library has over 27,000 books (literary fiction, mysteries, biographies, children’s books, Canadian history titles and more) that can be borrowed by its members. Its historical collection can be consulted on site upon request. Fun facts: Louise Penny’s book Bury Your Dead is partially set in the Morrin Centre. Philippe Aubert de Gaspé, a Québécois author, was incarcerated in the jail as a debtor for 3 years. Charles Dickens and Mark Twain came to Morrin College to give lectures.
The Maison de la littérature, which is right next door to the Morrin Centre, used to be the Wesley Temple, a methodist church built in 1848. After the church was abandoned in 1931, the building served as a public library and concert hall. In 2015, it was entirely renovated and is now a hub for francophone literature and culture with a public library, writing rooms, a comic book workshop, a creation studio, a writer’s residence and a literary stage. The interior is beautiful, modern and filled with light. It is definitely worth a visit!
