The Parish core

The current parish church is in the neoclassical style. This artistic current was in vogue in Europe and America in the middle of the 19th century. 

Neoclassicism influenced the production of architects such as Thomas Baillargé, to whom we owe the plans of this church.

Baillargé provided plans for several churches erected between 1825 and 1850 in the regions of Trois-Rivières and Québec. He also signed the plans for the church of Baie-du-Febvre which was built in 1836 and demolished in 1896. 

From the outside, the latter was almost identical to that of Saint-François-du-Lac.

The plan of the church is composed of a rectangular nave with three naves (three aisles between two colonnades) and a narrower choir ending in a semicircle. This so-called “Récollet” plan makes it possible to set up altars on either sides of the choir.

Its facade has an imposing portal framed by columns and two side doors surmounted by round windows and niches housing the statues and a Palladian window in the center.

The many elements of the neoclassical style as well as the artistic treasures inside, some of which date back to the era of New France, let do this church being classified as a heritage building in 1957.

The imposing church is on the right. In the center, a large parterre is divided by a path lined with two rows of trees. Observe two small wooden stands for the “Auction of Souls”, (or Criée des Âmes.) This practice took place during the weeks of November and consisted of selling various goods to raise money to have a mass sung for the deceased. In the background: the presbytery and the convent.

Along the main street are the grounds and buildings that make up the parish core. The church (in blue) is built of stone. The presbytery and the convent (in red) are in brick. Various ancillary buildings such as a chicken coop, a laundry room and a barn-shed, are built of wood behind the main buildings.

In 1817, considering the extent of the renovation work that the old church and its presbytery required, the idea of building a new church began to take shape.

It was in 1833 that the farmers François Plamondon and Elie Gill, as well as their wife Angèle Descheneaux and Adelaïde Descheneaux, gave a portion of their land to build a new church.

The construction will extend from 1842 to 1849.

The construction of this church, the third of the parish but the fifth of the seigniory, was a real saga filled with many twists and turns.

This story divided the surrounding community between those who were in favor of moving the religious core to a location that would meet the new needs of the parish and those who opposed it in many way possible.

Finally, the current church was blessed on September 20, 1849. Everything that could be removed from the old church was moved: bell, organ, balustrade, furniture, paintings, etc. 

Many of these artworks can still be seen inside.

Beside the new church, the parish core took shape with the addition of adjacent buildings. We will see the construction of a first presbytery in 1853. Five years later, the graves were moved from the old cemetery on Île du Fort to its current location, newly fenced.

The convent was built in 1875, to the right of the presbytery, whereas originally it should have been on the other side of the church.

The parish core was extended in 1922 with the purchase of a house by the parish to house the sexton (also called “bedeau”) and his family. 

The factory also had a 20-foot-wide path connecting the church to the river, intended for the personal use of the parish priest. This path was parallel to actual Camiré Street.

It no longer exists today and its traces have now been erased from the landscape.

Replacing the old presbytery which was built on this spot in 1853, this one was erected in 1899 according to the plan of a luxurious villa of neo-Italian inspiration.

Already richly ornamented, the imposing presbytery was also equipped with an equally ornate turret as well as a balustrade circling the flat roof. These two elements are missing today.

It was cited as a heritage building in 1994 in the Cultural Heritage Register of Quebec. Today the building is a private residence.

This wooden building was used to store the tithe paid to the priest “en nature” by certain inhabitants according to the value of what they sowed and harvested on their land.

To the left of the photo, the ground has been leveled where the convent and the wooden outbuildings were. At the back , the trees will be cut down to make way for the Bruyère residence. A tennis court was behind the presbytery.

Since the 1970s, the extent of the parish core has shrunk. The convent was sold and then demolished in 1971 to make way for the two current residences. The wooden outbuildings disappeared from the landscape.

The sacristan's house was sold and privatized and so was the presbytery.

Today, the parish core is only made up of the church, the cemetery (up to the mass grave and the columbarium), the parking lot and the park located in front of the church.

You are in front of the church which stands in the middle of a vast area known as the parish «island» or «core». With its cemetery, its ossuary located at the extremity, its parking lot and its green space, this parish core was in fact much larger in the past.

The imposing church was built between 1842 and 1849 and is a fine example of neoclassical architecture, in vogue in Europe and America in the mid-nineteenth century. Its symmetrical façade has an imposing portal framed by columns and surmounted by an arch reminiscent of Greco-Roman constructions. Its pediment pierced with an oval window as well as its bell towers are made of wood covered with sheet metal so as not to weigh down the façade too much and prevent it from sinking into the ground.

The church has been listed as a historic monument since 1957.

To your left we see the old presbytery. This luxurious residence was once used to house the priest as well as his deacons and servants. It has 25 rooms used as offices and bedrooms to accommodate distinguished visitors such as the bishop and his retinue during his visits to the parishes.

The convent, which was also part of the parish core, has now disappeared and been replaced by the Lassiseraye residences. 

To the right, across the street, locate a small blue house next to the post office: this also formed part of the parish core for 50 years as a residence for the verger or «Bedeau», and his family.

Who was the Bedeau? He was the parish priest’s handyman, but he mainly took care of the upkeep of the church and the preparation for religious services. It is said that this house was the first in the village to receive a fixed telephone line! This connected it to the presbytery in order to be in communication with the priest.

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ARCHIVES RÉGIONALES SÉMINAIRE DE NICOLET, Fonds Fabrique de la paroisse Saint-François-Xavier, F320/J26/5/6.

BEAUDET, Gisèle. Église Saint-François-Xavier à Saint-François-du-Lac, dans Commission des Biens culturels, Les chemins de la Mémoire, Les Publications du Québec, 1990, Tome 1.

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FERRETTI, Lucia. Brève histoire de l’église catholique au Québec, Boréal, 1999, 216 p.

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HUDON-BEAUDET, Florence. Saint-François-du-Lac 1673-1998, Saint-François-du-Lac, 1999.

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MORVAN-MAKER(MAHER), Florentine. Florentine raconte… Laffont Canada, 1980.

Photos Credits:

Buildings and grounds in 1905: GOAD, Charles Edward. St.François du Lac, Que. Plan d'assurance-incendie. 1 carte: coul. 64 x54 cm, Montréal ; Toronto: Chas. E. Goad, 1905, in BAnQ numérique.

Overview, 1922: Fonds Fabrique de la paroisse Saint-François-Xavier, Saint-François-du-Lac.

The church: Fonds Fabrique de la paroisse Saint-François-Xavier, Saint-François-du-Lac.

The presbytery: Fonds Fabrique de la paroisse Saint-François-Xavier, Saint-François-du-Lac.

The barn-shed behind the presbytery: Fonds Fabrique de la paroisse Saint-François-Xavier, Saint-François-du-Lac.

The presbytery circa 1971: Fonds Fabrique de la paroisse Saint-François-Xavier, Saint-François-du-Lac.