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Fire at the Saint-Ignace-d’Antioche church in Coteau-du-Lac, 1999

Color photograph, long shot of firefighters with a crane and many trucks, attempting to extinguish a church on fire whose steeple, roof and windows are in flames.

© André Leroux, 1999 – collection François Leroux

When a church is destroyed, voluntarily or by accident, the whole community is affected. In December of 1999, the citizens of Coteau-du-Lac watched as the fire destroyed their parish church for the second time. This church, built in 1909 and decorated with murals painted by artist Guido Nicheri (1885-1973), had replaced the one that had burnt down in 1908. A third church was built in 2004 and many stones from the 1909 church were used in its reconstruction.