We learned from the media that after a decade of closure, the Saint-Édouard church in Port-Alfred was still looking for a vocation.
Some have proposed, but without success, that the municipal library be transferred there.
Others persist and suggest that we continue to look for some use for it while we repair and consolidate all the exterior structural elements.
In my opinion, it would not be wise to proceed in this order, because it is of the utmost importance to know beforehand with certainty what is the social role envisaged for the building.
We know that originally, the church was at the center of the daily life of the city’s inhabitants and essential to their moral and spiritual life. This justified its construction, first, then its careful maintenance.
Are there still important and pressing social needs that could be met by an expensively renovated church?
As for its aesthetic and architectural value, could it justify its restoration?
It must be recognized at the outset that its profile inherited from the Middle Ages does not harmonize too well with the landscape of a modern industrial city designed by engineers for whom the land register will always prevail over dreams, imagination or the mysticism. Saint-Édouard Church actually recalls the severe lines of an Anglican church. Should we remember that it is a foreign architectural body put forward by the founding priest of Saint-Édouard, known for his megalomania and his lavishness with the money of his flock.
Furthermore, those who are fascinated by the medieval era and the Gothic architectural style have long been able to admire a perfect example nearby in the Sacré-Coeur du Bassin church, in Chicoutimi.
Finally, there remains the demolition of the building and the recovery of the granite blocks from its walls.
They could ultimately be used to raise a memorial dedicated to all those who contributed to the creation of the city of Port-Alfred and who made it shine wherever they went.