Saint Joseph of the Wheat Statue | Virtual Tour of the Monastery of the Ursulines of Quebec City

In a dark brown wood with gilded ornaments alcove, between two small columns, a St-Joseph statue with golden clothes, scepter in his hand. — **“Saint Joseph of the Wheat”**. Anonymous. Gilded and polychromed wood. 18th century.

Our Good Saint Joseph

Saint Joseph, foster father of Jesus, is the protector of this Monastery. Our former mothers would place a statue of him above entrance doors or in passageways. Each Saint Joseph protects a specific place and reminds us of the former uses of our buildings. For example, “Saint Joseph of the Coin” overlooks the arrival of all incoming goods. He holds an account book in his left hand. Notice here, at the bottom of the Saint Augustine staircase, Saint Joseph holds a scepter in his right hand, symbolizing his authority as protector of this Monastery. We call him “Saint Joseph of the Wheat” because he oversaw the transportation of foodstuffs up the Saint-Augustine Stairway into the attic.

Return to the video
(Time : 3 minutes. 50 seconds)