The Parish Hub

Grondines parish hub, circa 1900.

As with any Quebec villages, the heart of Grondines revolved around the parish hub. In 1676, years before the official founding of the parish (1680), a single house served as a chapel, standing near a simple mill. It wasn’t until 1713 that the first stone church was built, fairly close to the river.

Saint-Charles-Borromée Church, circa 1880.

The proximity to the river, however, proved to be highly problematic. Spring freshets caused major flooding. In 1831, it was decided to build a new church further north. Work began in 1839, and three years later, a new parish hub took shape.

Designed by architect Thomas Baillairgé, the church became the core of the village as we know it today. A new presbytery (that now houses the municipal library) was added in 1843, the same year a gated cemetery was laid out. The parish was finally well established!

Parish hall, before 1946.

Later in the 19th century, a parish hall (or residents’ hall) was added to the hub. Divided into two separate areas, one for men and the other for women, it played a critical role in the village’s communal life. In the early 1940s, especially with the recognition of women’s right to vote by the government of Adélard Godbout, this gender divide stopped being socially relevant. The hall was replaced in 1946 by a larger one, the Centre des Roches, to accommodate everyone. It welcomed numerous groups and activities, including the Cercle des fermières. Just a few steps away, the Saint-Charles elementary school welcomed the village’s children. The parish hub was complete.