Embroider Like an Ursuline

This exhibition takes a look inside the Ursulines’ embroidery workshop, a mysterious creative space where generations of nuns—going all the way back to Marie of the Incarnation—have worked at their craft.

Although the archives and collections clearly demonstrate the nuns’ skill and dexterity, until recently there was no conclusive proof that these talented needle workers embroidered ornaments using their own designs. The recent discovery of the Ursulines’ priceless embroidery patterns, some of which date back to the 17^thcentury, confirms that they were indeed the people who conceived the designs.

Take a closer look at these exceptional documents on display for the first time. The patterns—just like the embroidery they gave rise to—bear the seal of the extraordinary expertise of the embroiderers at the monastery in Quebec City.