Notre-Dame-du-Portage Church

Construction of the Notre-Dame-du-Portage Church began in 1859 on a gently sloping site between the river and the cliff, three years after the birth of the parish. The $6,700 contract was awarded to two local contractors: Charles Bernier, from Cap-Saint-Ignace, and Philippe Fortin, from Montmagny. 

Like many other churches designed by the influential Thomas Baillairgé, such as the one in Cacouna, the architecture of Notre-Dame-du-Portage is in the Quebec neoclassical style, which puts a local spin on English neoclassicism. This style is characterized here by the semicircular apse, arched openings, rectangular floor plan and gable roof. 

Completed in 1863, the church originally had no interior columns. Since parishioners feared the roof would fall in, columns were added in 1875. The church’s location, nestled between the water and the mountains, is what truly sets it apart.

At the time, the church served a community of 300 to 400 people. In the summertime, however, the town’s population grew to five times its usual size thanks to an influx of mostly English-speaking vacationers who arrived via the new rail line from Québec City, Montréal and Ontario. These wealthy summer visitors came to breathe in the salty air, known for its therapeutic properties. They also left their mark on our collective heritage. This proud, well-to-do community made several bequests over the years that added artistic value to a relatively commonplace building and contributed to its preservation.

In 1889, the church was graced with a three-bell carillon, manufactured in the Maison Havard workshops in Villedieu, France. Each weighing 450 pounds, the “three sisters” were named Marie, Anne and Octave. In 1892, a wooden Madonna covered with a layer of lead, known as the Vierge blanche [White Virgin] was nestled in the niche on the facade, giving her the best view of the heart of the future village.

On October 27, 1907, the current Stations of the Cross, consisting of oil paintings by Louis-Joseph St-Hilaire, were installed. A student of Ozias Leduc, St-Hilaire trained at the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs in Paris. He honed his brushstrokes in Italy and at the Louvre before returning to Quebec to accept numerous commissions from the Catholic clergy.

Imported from France, the Sacred Heart monument that faces the road in front of the church was unveiled in 1925. In 1983, a 1906 Casavant Frères organ was purchased from the Franciscan Monastery in Québec City for $2,000. Inaugurated in February of the following year, it still fills the church with music on Sundays.

A new wooden figure took up residence in the church in 1998. Created by Clermont Gagnon of Saint-Jean-Port-Joli from an original design by Geneviève Dick, the Vierge de Notre-Dame-du-Portage [Notre-Dame-du-Portage Virgin] has ever since been watching over this tourist village with its special summer vibe. 

As the gateway to the Portage Trail, once used by First Nations people to travel to the Bay of Fundy, and later the gateway to a key mail and military route, the municipality has long been considered an important thoroughfare. 

The church grounds and its buildings form an attractive and well-preserved ensemble, now recognized as a heritage site. This includes the exquisite presbytery, used in the filming of Pierre Gauvreau’s serial drama Cormoran in the 1990s, and the cemetery, whose small stones contemplate the majestic Charlevoix rocks of the north shore. Old headstones are lined up along the wall, waiting patiently for other souls to join them for a peaceful eternity, blessed by the cold mist from the river.