Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Québec in Capitale-Nationale, — Central Canada (French-Canadian)
Cimetière Saint-Matthew
⎯⎯⎯
St. Matthew's Cemetery
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 4, 2019
1. Cimetière Saint-Matthew / St. Matthew's Cemetery Marker
Qu'ils Reposent en Paix!
En 2009-2010, la Ville de Québec a restauré le cimetière, prenant grand soin de conserver l'esprit du lieu. Véritable havre de paix au cœur du quartier Saïnt-Jean-Baptiste, le cimetière évoque toujours un coin d'Angleterre.
On y dénombre actuellement 314 monuments funéraires, où figurent les noms de quelque 580 personnes. Usées par le temps, ces pierres racontent les drames vécus: mortalité infantile, épidémies, noyades...
Trois cent quatorze, c'est peu quand on sait que le cimetière a servi de lieu d'inhumation de 1772 à 1860, particulièrement pour la population anglophone protestante de Québec, alors florissante.
Trois cent quatorze, c'est peu quand on songe aux 6 000 à 10 000 hommes, femmes et enfants qui y furent enterrés, leurs sépultures empilées, serrées les unes contre les autres.
Le cimetière Saint-Matthew et l'église attenante — reconvertie en bibliothèque — sont un bien culturel classé par le gouvernement du Québec.
May They Rest in Peace!
In 2009-2010, the City of Quebec restored the cemetery, taking great care to preserve the spirit of the place. A peaceful haven in the heart of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste quarter, the cemetery still has the feeling of being a corner of England.
There are currently 314 gravestones on which the names of some 580 people are inscribed. Worn by time, they tell the stories of the deceased: infant deaths, epidemics, death by drowning...
Three hundred and fourteen is a small number if we consider that the cemetery served, from 1772 to 1860, as a burial site for the Protestant Anglophone population of Quebec City, which was flourishing at that time.
Three hundred and fourteen is a small number when you think that of the 6,000 to 10,000 individuals who were buried here, their bodies piled one on top of the other, buried tightly and close to one another.
St. Matthew's cemetery and the church next door — now converted into a library — have been designated as an historic site by the Government of Quebec.
Erected by Ville
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Colonial Era • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1772.
Location. 46° 48.649′ N, 71° 13.072′ W. Marker is in Québec, in Capitale-Nationale. It is in Saint-Jean-Baptiste. It can be reached from Rue Saint-Jean just east of Côte Sainte-Geneviève, on the right when traveling east. The marker and cemetery are located on the west side of the Claire Martin Library, (formerly Saint Matthew's Church). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 755 Rue Saint-Jean, Québec G1R 1R1, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Canada. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, and the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Rupert’s Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Parc Saint Matthew (here, next to this
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 4, 2019
2. Cimetière Saint-Matthew / St. Matthew's Cemetery Marker
The marker and cemetery are located on the west side of the Claire Martin Library, (formerly Saint Matthew's Church).
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. St. Matthew’s Church and Graveyard
Also see . . .
1. St. Matthew’s Church and graveyard.
Excerpt: St. Matthew’s Church, today a city library, dates back to the 1870s. It replaced a stone chapel built in 1849 that the many Anglicans living in this part of town had outgrown. The graveyard surrounding it is older still. Opened in 1772 it boasts what is probably the province’s oldest gravestone.(Submitted on April 18, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)After New France was handed over to England in 1763, the need to bury Christians of different denominations in separate graveyards led the British government to acquire a plot of land on Chemin Saint-Jean where Anglicans—and later Presbyterians—would be buried. The first person was buried there in 1772.
2. Cimetière Anglican Saint-Matthew (Find A Grave).
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 4, 2019
3. Cimetière Saint-Matthew / St. Matthew's Cemetery
Excerpt: After the capture of Quebec by the British in 1759, the Protestant population there increased rapidly. This new community gradually established itself and set up its institutions. However, it was not until 1772 that it opened its first cemetery. Neighboring the current Claire-Martin library on rue Saint-Jean, the former Saint-Matthew church, this "Protestant Burying Ground", as it was called at the time, was enlarged in 1778. It was finally closed in 1860 because there were no more places available.(Submitted on April 18, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 4, 2019
4. Cimetière Saint-Matthew / St. Matthew's Cemetery
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 4, 2019
5. Cimetière Saint-Matthew / St. Matthew's Cemetery
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 4, 2019
6. Bibliothèque Claire Martin, anciennement église Saint-Matthew
Vue de l'église, regardant vers le nord-est depuis le cimetière. • • • Claire Martin Library, formerly Saint Matthew's Church
View of the church, looking northeast from the cemetery.
View of the church, looking northeast from the cemetery.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 18, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 18, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 228 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on April 18, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
