Experience 400 Years Of Healing Heritage At This UNESCO-Recognized Wellness Retreat

The tradition of wellness goes back—way back—at Le Monastère des Augustines in Quebec City. It began in 1639, when three Augustinian nuns braved a challenging journey from France to Quebec and set up North America’s first hospital. More sisters soon joined and for the next several hundred years, they provided critical care to the sick.

All the while, the Augustinian sisters developed a culture of holistic health and wellness and memorialized it through some 40,000 artifacts, painstakingly collected and preserved over the centuries. This remarkable archive, held at the monastery-turned retreat, has recently earned recognition from UNESCO as a Memory of the World.

While the archives aren’t open to the general public, the traditions they store live on at Le Monastère des Augustines. It’s a living museum that immerses visitors in a heritage of healing, and even invites you to spend the night in a traditional monastic room—a one-of-a-kind stay that should be on every wellness traveler’s bucket list.

Here’s what you can expect on a wellness retreat at Le Monastère des Augustines.

Sleep in an Authentic Monastic Room

At Le Monastère des Augustines, modern-day travelers can get a sense of what life must have been like for young nuns in the 1600s by spending the night in one of the “authentic rooms.” Each of these former nuns’ chambers are outfitted with antique furniture from the Augustinian’s collection to make the spaces feel true to the original monastery experience.

The rooms feature just what you need—and nothing more—to feel comfortable and distanced from all of life’s distractions. Expect simple (yet cozy) single beds, windows with wooden shutters, and gentle lighting. You’ll even find personal touches from the Augustinian sisters (like hand-knitted cases in which to tuck your phone away and fully disconnect) throughout the space.

It’s worth noting that while you’ll have a sink and mirror within your authentic room, bathrooms and showers are shared among guests in this wing. These aren’t the shared facilities you might be used to from the hostels of your youth, though. The bathrooms are large, spotlessly clean, and just steps away from the bedrooms. And since there are so many available, you are unlikely to run into any other guests. The unique opportunity to spend the night in a 17th-century cloister, where nuns were required to switch rooms every year in order to avoid developing feelings of earthly attachment, is well worth getting over any qualms you feel about the shared shower situation.

If you feel more at home in the 21st century, opt for one of the 32 contemporary rooms. They’re designed in harmony with the heritage property and feature full private bathrooms and king- and queen-size beds, plus other modern comforts.

Get Healed Through Touch

When patients were admitted to the Augustinian hospital in past centuries, the nuns would immediately wash their feet to promote hygiene and to symbolize humility. It was the first step toward healing those in need.

Le Monastère des Augustines carries on this tradition today with its touch-focused spa treatments. The 90-minute Monastic Signature Massage starts off with (you guessed it!) a purifying foot cleanse. Then, the massage therapist will use a symphony of oils and herbal extracts to give you a restorative rubdown, set to a background of monastic music, that will bring both your body and mind to a state of tranquility.

It’s just one of more than a dozen spa services at Le Monastère des Augustines. Other highlights include the Sacred Nature Facial Treatment (a 50-minute facial inspired by a walk through the monastery garden), 1639 Massage (featuring the property’s exclusive whipped shea butter), and a holistic health consultation, which will give you personalized guidance on embracing wellness in your everyday life.

Embrace Mindful Dining

Dining at Le Vivoir, the on-site restaurant at Le Monastère des Augustines, is a wellness experience unto itself. The silent breakfasts give you a chance to start your day on a mindful note and practice the Augustinian Sisters’ longstanding tradition of dining quietly and embracing inwardness at mealtimes.

Lunch and dinner tend to be a bit more lively, as daily visitors and overnight guests fill their plates from the buffet. The restaurant sources most of its ingredients from suppliers located within 150 miles of the monastery. Expect a diverse rotation of ultra-fresh salads, hearty soups, curried veggies, and a meat or seafood entree.

Embark on a Meditative Walking Tour

The Augustinian nuns held a tradition of engaging in self-reflection at least twice per day—and it’s easy to follow this ritual throughout a wellness retreat at the property today. Le Monastère des Augustines offers several self-guided walking tours that encourage you to stroll through some of the monastery’s most cherished places and take moments to meditate on the experience.

Each tour is outlined in a handy journaling workbook (yours for the keeping!) that details the significance of what you’ll see and encourages you to draw meaning in your own life. It’s a quiet, contemplative way to find a personal connection with the monastery and the nuns who once called it “home.”

Wellness Activities Around Every Corner

After getting acquainted with the property on the walking tour, feel free to explore the monastery on your own. This is a place that will surprise you with opportunities for wellness around every corner.

Head to the Augustinian choir in the evening to hear the remaining Augustinian Sisters sing hymns. Their hauntingly beautiful voices will leave you with chills. Contemplate monastic life and see original artifacts, including the baby Jesus doll the nuns used during their first Christmas here in 1639, at the museum. Get some nature therapy in the courtyard, where Old and New World plants flourish.

Or, ask about special events, like crystal bowl concerts and evening yoga, in the Vaults. As the oldest accessible place in the monastery, it feels like a cocoon that fosters a connection between modern-day visitors and the generations of women who have taken care of this space over the centuries.