The State wishes to protect the presbytery of Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse and its various elements. The Ministry of Culture and Communications (MCC) has just published a notice of intention to classify in order to ensure the protection of this threatened rectory which has hit the headlines over the past year.
Minister Nathalie Roy also signed a notice of intent to classify the church organ, produced in 1897 by Napoléon Déry, one of the most important organ builders in Quebec, as well as for the beadle stick. , designed by the silversmith Laurent Amiot around 1820.
At the heart of this protection action led by the State, the presbytery of Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse is one of the strongest symbols of the region. Built in 1739, extended in 1790, modified a few times thereafter until the 1920s, this presbytery is one of the few buildings of this type still standing. “Although it has undergone some modifications over the centuries, it has retained its traditional character and remains one of the most remarkable, both for its impressive dimensions and for its exceptional site,” notes the MCC.
The duty reported, in February 2021, that the municipal administration of Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse said it was embarrassed by this building. Its surroundings were now used as used snow dumps, in defiance of basic elementary rules aimed at ensuring its protection. What is more, the building found itself, during the year, without occupant, following a dispute between the factory of the parish and the municipal administration.
The mayor at the time, Eric Tessier, had made many statements where he showed little regard for the presbytery. “I’m not sure what’s special about it,” he said, going so far as to point out that he was opposed to the assertion of legal protection for the building. “It increases the price of future renovations,” he said.
Ten months later, the office of the Minister of Culture and Communications recalls that “the presbytery of Saint-Michel is of interest for its historical and architectural value” for all Quebecers. This building is “the third oldest rectory in Quebec” which is distinguished by its “high quality” and its state of “authenticity”.
An exceptional place
The MCC also notes the exceptional character of this village heart which includes the church, the tithe barn, the cemetery and the old rectory. “The buildings and facilities that it brings together, although they have been modified or rebuilt, have occupied the same location since 1712, making it one of the oldest parish cores in Quebec. It is distinguished in particular by the belt formed by the streets which separate it from the rest of the village. “
The religious building, now protected by state law, was, in 1775, the theater for the expression of the rebellious spirit of French Canada. Parishioners, animated by a republican spirit often passed over in silence, then seized the place in order to resist the efforts of forced recruitment, even if they were denounced by the parish priest.
Minister Nathalie Roy once again repeated that she would like “municipalities and private partners to put their shoulders to the wheel by finding projects to occupy our heritage buildings”.
Subject to debate
In Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse, the enhancement and preservation of heritage were one of the main themes of the election campaign of November 7.
The outgoing mayor now wanted to hand over the historic rectory to a trust for independent management.
In the ballot, his opponent, Stéphane Garneau, obtained 91.9% of the votes cast. The new mayor, for his part, pleaded that the presbytery was a collective jewel to be preserved. For the new mayor Garneau, the notice of intention to classify published by the State will allow his municipality “to plan in a judicious, far-sighted and responsible manner the preservation of the presbytery”. He was delighted by the news.
A new use?
Two projects have been put forward to occupy this historic heart of the village of Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse. The Society of Friends of the Presbytery, led by Councilor Sylvie Lauzon, re-elected with a very large majority during the last election, proposes to use the premises in particular as an exhibition center dedicated in part to history. “We would find the archives of the factory there, including a document from 1790, an exhibition of artefacts and a bank of old photos of the coast,” she explained to Duty. Another group of citizens wants to make it, in the same spirit of respectful reconversion, a center of cultural dissemination supported by the operation of a café.
Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse is often credited with the status of one of the most beautiful villages in Quebec. Until this heritage complex is officially classified within a year, the notice of intent published by the Ministry of Culture and Communications guarantees it the same degree of protection.