Founded in 1663 by François de Laval, the first bishop of New France, the Séminaire de Québec is one of the oldest educational institutions in North America and the direct precursor of Laval University — the first university in Canada. The complex of buildings around a courtyard occupies a commanding position at the edge of the Old City cliff, adjacent to the Musée de l'Amérique francophone.
The Musée de l'Amérique francophone, housed in the seminary's oldest wing, traces the history of French-speaking peoples across the Americas — a scope that extends far beyond Québec to the Acadians, the Cajuns of Louisiana, and the Franco-Americans of New England. The seminary chapel, with its extraordinary Baroque interior, is open to visitors. The courtyard, rarely crowded, is a quiet place to sit in the shade.