There is still, in Québec City, a colonial-era French fortification of the cavalier type: the Cavalier-du-Moulin. It is located in the heart of Old Québec, between Saint-Louis and Sainte-Geneviève streets. Its base is accessible from Rue du Corps-de-Garde—where the whipping post once stood—and its park can be accessed from the end of Rue du Mont-Carmel.
A cavalier is a fortification element that rises above another defensive work. Its purpose is to position artillery pieces high enough to strengthen the firepower of a section of the fortifications, allowing them to fire over and beyond the bastion’s guns in order to counter the besiegers’ artillery or their siege works.
Following the siege of Québec by General Phips in 1690, DuBois Berthelot de Beaucours built the first line of fortifications, consisting of a wooden and earthen palisade. In 1693, Beaucours added two masonry structures to his defensive line: the Redoute du Cap aux Diamants and the Cavalier-du-Moulin. The latter, of significant heritage value, was built around a windmill located on the heights of Mount Carmel. Over the years, military engineer Levasseur de Néré and Beaucours himself modified the profile of the walls until they reached the form we know today.
The Cavalier lost its strategic value and was abandoned when the defensive line was moved further west with the construction of the current city walls by Chaussegros de Léry in 1745. Following the Conquest of 1759, the British took over the site and rebuilt walls that were in a state of collapse. After the departure of British troops in 1791, the Government of Canada took possession of the site and developed it into a park.
The value of the Cavalier is all the greater as it is considered one of the most beautiful parks in Québec City.
“Parc du Cavalier-du-Moulin is an oasis of peace and greenery—often described as the most poetic and romantic park in Québec City—known and appreciated by a small number of residents and curious visitors.”
STGM Architecture’s heritage structures team is currently working on the restoration of the fortification walls of the Cavalier-du-Moulin, as well as the enhancement of the site and its park. With more than fifteen projects involving the restoration of buildings and military fortifications—mostly at the Citadel of Québec—Francis Vanasse is bringing his expertise to the project. In the initial phase, he and his team conducted historical research that retraced the evolution of the Cavalier and its site through the centuries. He is currently developing the restoration intervention concept, along with an interpretive approach that recalls the military components of the French regime. Research into the shapes, dimensions, and materiality of the now-lost cannon embrasures will be carried out and reintroduced in a contemporary manner.
Beyond its restoration, the project will improve the site’s visibility, enhance the fluidity and accessibility of public access, and enable interpretation of the site’s former military function.