Sainte-Croix-de-Tadoussac Mission Church, built between 1747 and 1750 at the confluence of the Saguenay and St. Lawrence rivers and considered Canada's oldest wooden church, has been designated a national historic site.
"It is the only remaining original place of worship that tells the stories of the missionary activities of the Jesuit fathers in the remote regions of New France and of the conversion of the Innu First Nation people [the Montagnais] to Christianity," said a statement from Parks Canada, which operates many of the country's national historic sites.
The small chapel, about 200 kilometres northeast of Quebec City, was constructed at a time when Tadoussac was an active fur-trading centre. Its architectural features, including a bell tower and front-gable roof, make it "an outstanding example of mission churches erected in New France," Parks Canada said.
The original siding of vertical planks was replaced in 1866-1867 with horizontal clapboard siding.
The church is among recent Quebec additions to the roster of more than 1,500 places, persons and events that have been officially commemorated for their national historic significance.
The others announced by Parks Canada are artist Marc-Aurèle Fortin, museum builder Frederick Cleveland Morgan, the former Lamaque mine and Bourlamaque mining village in Abitibi, the Inuit co-operative movement and the Arvida historic district.
