Yesterday a jail, today one of the most beautiful libraries in Canada

TO Quebec He likes to presume that he is ‘a nation within Canada’. It is the only French-speaking region of the American country, and its idiomatic zeal reaches the point of having a linguistic police. But in its capital a beautiful centenary library survives, which maintains the validity of that language in a building that was a sordid prison for more than a century and a half.

This is the only library with works in English in the entire capital city, also called Quebec. The success of Morrin Center It is an example of the tolerance that characterizes Canadian society. In the region, only one in ten people speak English.

(To read more: Village of Islington, the living murals neighborhood of Toronto)

The presence of French is so strong that the language of Shakespeare in the region is not considered official, despite what the country's constitution says.

One would think that as a minority language English would have a testimonial presence. But the importance and affection that residents have for the Morrin Center clears any sectarian idea.

When the library was a prison

For a century, when today's Quebec was known as New france (1712-1808), the building of the Morrin Center was the Royal Redoubt, a prison where the damned used to die quickly due to the poor conditions of confinement.

The affection of the residents for the Morrin Center, despite its strong linguistic convictions, clears any sectarian idea

Demolished and rebuilt, the new building also continued as a prison, but unlike those horrible facilities, individual cells and common spaces were created here to reform rather than punish.

The headquarters of the Morrin Center, in the historic center of Canada, was a prison. Photo: Wikipedia

The rapid saturation of the cells led to the prison closing in 1867 (its next location was transformed into the current National Museum of Fine Arts in Quebec), and instead opened the Morrin College, in homage to the Scottish benefactor who sought a place to educate the minority in English than of British descendants.

Protect the history of English speakers

From its classrooms emerged in 1864 the Quebec Historical and Literary Society, the first of its kind in Canada, designed to preserve the cultural heritage of the city; but not just anyone, but that of the English-speaking community.

(To read more: Five libraries where it is forbidden to get bored)

At the beginning of the 20th century, the shortage of students condemned the school, but the historical society survived and moves on, taking care of the legacy of the cultural center.

In addition to courses, workshops and activities related to English history and language, the impressive library is one of the highlights.

The library usually hosts events and meetings of the English-speaking community. Photo: Morrin Center

Victorian stamp

With a catalog of 26,000 works, all in English, the beautiful facilities maintain their brightness thanks to a reconstruction completed in 2011.

A large part of the works come from the Quebec Library, opened in 1779, and although many books were lost, there are still valuable volumes that, in some cases, reach the 16th century.

In the Morrin Center catalog there are valuable works dating back to the 16th century

Its decoration maintains the Victorian style, with a first floor with wrought iron railing, which is accessed by an elegant wooden staircase, a reading room with solemn presence furniture, and statues of Quebec history figures.

In the guided tours of the building of the eighteenth century it is possible to see the beautiful halls of the cultural center, its science laboratories as well as the most sordid face in its history, with two of the dungeons that are still preserved.