Parishioners wanted it to be the finest church in the North, as beautiful as a cathedral in the hope that it would become the bishop’s see, and in response, architects Gauthier and Daoust of Montreal were apparently inspired by Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Sainte-Agathe Church is indeed reminiscent of the Neo-Romanesque style with its arched windows and crenellated towers.
Many craftsmen from the area helped build the church. The painted ornamentations were entrusted to Toussaint Xénophon Renaud, a renowned church decorator. After the Vatican II liturgical reforms in the 1960s, the paintings were plastered over. In 1930, two Casavant Brothers organs were installed; they were restored in 1980. The painted stained-glass windows, dating from 1954, were designed by Charles Stefanoff, and the stations of the cross are the work of the Bourgault brothers.
Because of structural problems, the towers had to be shortened by 18 feet in 1957, but this did not compromise the appearance of the church, which has been listed as a heritage property by the City of Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts since 1993.
The church has been listed as a heritage property in the municipal registry since 1993.
PHOTOS
(1) The church as erected in 1907.
(2) The church after the towers were modified in 1957.
Optional detour to the train station
(Point 12, away from the main walking tour)
From the church, you can walk to the train station: proceed down Sainte-Agathe Street to Saint-Paul Street East, then turn right on Saint-Paul East and walk to the end, crossing Route 117.
(1.5-kilometre return trip).