Sainte-Croix-de-Tadoussac Mission Church National Historic Site of Canada
Tadoussac, Quebec
Old church, Tadoussac, QC, about 1890
© Musée McCord Museum / Wm. Notman & Son / VIEW-2358
Address :
169 du Bord-de-l’Eau Street, Tadoussac, Quebec
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
2012-06-26
Dates:
-
1747 to 1747
(Construction)
Other Name(s):
-
La chapelle de « L’Exaltation-de-la-Sainte-Croix-de-Tadoussac » (XIXe siècle)
(Other Name)
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La chapelle de « L’Invention-de-la-Sainte-Croix » (XIXe siècle)
(Other Name)
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La chapelle de Tadoussac (XIXe et XXe siècles)
(Other Name)
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The Indian Chapel (deuxième moitié du XIXe siècle)
(Other Name)
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La vieille chapelle de Tadoussac (XXe siècle)
(Other Name)
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La chapelle des Indiens de Tadoussac (XXe siècle)
(Other Name)
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La chapelle Sainte-Anne (XXe siècle)
(Other Name)
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La chapelle des Jésuites (XXe siècle)
(Other Name)
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Église de la mission de Sainte-Croix-de-Tadoussac (officialisé en 1998-1999 par le MCCQ)
(Other Name)
Research Report Number:
2010-42 / 2010-42-A
Plaque(s)
Long before the building of this chapel, First Nations including Innu families from Nitassinan frequented this gathering place. This structure of timber framing and log construction, built between 1747 and 1750, is a unique example in Canada of the wooden mission churches of New France. The church, which is intimately associated with the evangelization of the Innu of the Domaine du Roi, evokes the close relationship between the fur trade and the missionary work of the Jesuits. In the 19th century, Oblate fathers and brothers continued missionary work with the Indigenous population at this site.
Commemorative Intent
The Sainte-Croix-de-Tadoussac Mission Church was designated as a national historic site because: it is the only extant original place of worship bearing witness to Jesuit missionary work in remote areas of New France and the conversion of the Montagnais (Innu) to Christianity; its features and construction methods make it an exceptional mission church from the era of New France, as well as the oldest wooden church in Quebec and in Canada; constructed during the era when Tadoussac was an active centre of the fur trade, it speaks to the relationship between the fur trade and the missionary efforts of the Jesuits, both intimately linked with Aboriginal peoples; it is an excellent example of a mission post, where in the mid 19th century the Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate established themselves, continuing to serve the religious needs of the indigenous population.
Source: HSMBC, minutes, December 2010.