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1681 – The Little Saint-Nicolas Chapel: to the Glory of God!

Drawing of a small log chapel crowned by an archway with a window on each side and a bull’s-eye in the gable on top of which a cross appears.

The Saint-Nicolas chapel.

 

Let’s pull a bit away from the river and walk to the Saint-Nicolas Chapel, home of the christenings, weddings and funerals that punctuate our lives. It is built on a piece of land that Sieur de Suève and Sieur de Lanouguère annexed to their domain on the pretext that it was only slightly cleared. Although the Conseil Souverain had accepted their argument, it took a long time for Jean Baril and Nicolas Gastineau to surrender their rights to that land.

Since recently, Abbot Paul Vachon celebrates masses in our little village chapel. He has taken the place of Abbot Pierre Volant, a young priest born in New France. Just like his predecessor, the missionary also serves the Batiscan and Grondines parishes. We have been trying to get a resident priest along with the Grondines inhabitants for the past two years. To this purpose, Mathurin Gouin and I have been designated church wardens for the collection of tithes.

Topographic map showing the path followed by Michel Roy from Mathurin Tessier’s land to Saint-Nicolas Chapel.

From Mathurin Tessier’s land to Saint-Nicolas Chapel.

1681 – On Mathurin’s Farm 1681 – To Feed Our People