The Voltigeurs de Québec Armoury, formerly ''Grande-Allée Armoury'' (french: Manège militaire Grande-Allée, or simply ''Manège militaire''), was built as a

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

drill hall A drill hall is a place such as a building or a hangar where soldiers practise and perform military drills. Description In the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, the term was used for the whole headquarters building of a military reserve unit, ...

for the

infantry regiment Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

'' Les Voltigeurs de Québec'' in

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada. Designed by architect

Eugène-Étienne Taché Eugène-Étienne Taché, ISO (October 25, 1836 – March 13, 1912) was a French Canadian surveyor, civil engineer, illustrator and architect. He devised Quebec's provincial coat-of-arms and motto ''Je me souviens''. As the son of cabinet mini ...

and constructed between 1885 and 1888, it is a National Historic Site. Partially destroyed by fire in 2008, the armoury was then rebuilt and reopened in May 2018.

History

In the Canadian Forces, an armoury is a place where a reserve unit trains, meets, and parades.

Fire

The Voltigeurs de Québec Armoury was severely damaged by a fire on April 4, 2008. All but a rear wall and turrets beside the front door were burned. Les Voltigeurs de Québec Museum in the amoury which housed various artifacts from the regiment was also lost in the fire. However, officials estimate that 90 percent of the artifacts were saved due to the efforts of members of the regiment and local firefighters. The armoury was to have been one of the venues for the celebration of Quebec's 400th birthday. The armoury's wooden roof was one of the largest of its kind in Canada. Calls were made by politicians to rebuild the armoury, to which the federal government responded in April 2008 positively by allocating $2 million for reconstruction planning. In the fall of 2008, the regimental association launched a lawsuit against the Department of National Defence, blaming negligence on the part of the federal government for the blaze. In 2010, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Josée Verner announced federal plans to rebuild the armoury by 2016. Work was completed by the spring of 2018, and reopened, for use by the public, military, and other government offices.

Sculpture

"JE ME SOUVIENS" (1989) by André Gauthier, a 6’ X 9’ bronze 'haut-relief' bronze and granite wall memorial, was erected at Place George V in front of the armoury. Unveiled on November 11, 1989, the sculpture honours the memory of the soldiers from the Royal 22^e Régiment (R 22e R) or ''Van Doos'' French Canadian regiment who were killed during the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War. The sculpture was inspired by A.T.C. Bastiens' painting "L'Avance" at the

Canadian War Museum The Canadian War Museum (french: link=no, Musée canadien de la guerre; CWM) is a national museum on the country's military history in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The museum serves as both an educational facility on Canadian military history, in a ...

. The names of soldiers are inscribed in granite on the monument.

Plaque

A Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque was erected in 1991 to commemorate the Grande Allée Drill Hall and its architectural uniqueness.

The Grande Allée Drill Hall is an impressive example of a drill hall that retains its original parade square. Designed by Eugène-Étienne Taché, a Quebec public servant and architect, the stone building was completed in 1887, with an addition in 1913. The steeply pitched gable roof, conical towers and fanciful decorative details of the drill hall make it an early example of the French-inspired Château style. The use of the style here is unique among Canadian drill halls of this period and reflects the late 19th century interest in the historic French roots of the city.

File:Fanfare de la GRC.jpg, The Band of the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...

playing in

File:04214-Lieux Historique Manège Militaire de la Grande-Allée - 003.JPG, Sculpture at The Quebec City Armoury File:04214-Lieux Historique Manège Militaire de la Grande-Allée - 005.JPG, Monument at The Quebec City Armoury

References

{{coord, 46.8063, N, 71.214, W, source:kolossus-frwiki, display=title Les Voltigeurs de Québec Armouries in Canada Buildings and structures completed in 1888 Buildings and structures in Quebec City Demolished buildings and structures in Canada Gothic Revival architecture in Quebec City Burned buildings and structures in Canada National Historic Sites in Quebec 1888 establishments in Quebec

History

Fire

Sculpture

Plaque

See also

References