Baie-Comeau, Quebec

 

 

This little town of 21,000 was founded in the 1930’s by Robert McCormick, the owner of the Chicago Tribune and New York Daily News, to produce newsprint for his newspapers from the abundant forest resources in the area. In this wilderness there was no road or rail access to the rest of Quebec.  The only route was by water.

The electricity developed by McCormick’s company influenced others such as the British Aluminum Company (now owned and operated by Alcoa) to establish in Baie-Comeau.  Since the 1950’s, the region is home to a number of hydro-electric power installations.

The Anglophone population once thrived, but since the late 1970’s, their numbers have steadily declined.  The English speaking school here has fewer than 50 students in K-11 grades.

I selected to take a walking tour of this town.  It has a pleasant little main street.  We were taken along a path among the autumn trees with a view of the St. Lawrence on our way to our first stop, the Anglican Church of St. Andrew and St. George, built in 1937.

 

 

It features Tudor architecture. The beams, trusts, and rafters are oak as are the pews, altar, lectern, and pulpit.

 

It has interesting stained glass windows that reflect the wildlife and trades of the North Shore (as this area is referred to since it is on the North Shore of the St. Lawrence).

This is the altar window which pays homage to the Christ child with a moose on the upper left, an eagle descending from the upper right, and a bear on the bottom right.

 

 

 

Two others show fishermen and loggers.

It was the first church in town to be constructed, and so other denominations were permitted to use it. However,  with the decline in populations and religious interest, there is no permanent minister.  Services are held once every three weeks by the lay people.  It is used for concerts and other community events. They served us tea and sweets while we were there.

Our next stop was the Hotel Le Manoir which is a charming four-star hotel. In 1937, McCormick built a luxurious inn for himself, his employees, and his guests.  The original structure was destroyed by fire in 1965.  Three years later it was rebuilt in stone.

We were served another tea here with delicious pastry.

Through the window is a wonderful view of our ship.  All of the rooms have this view of the River.

Our final stop was The Sainte Amelie Church which McCormick donated most of the funds to build.  McCormick’s wife died while the church was under construction.  The pastoral committee with Church Authorization, chose Sainte Amelie as patron saint to display their gratitude to their benefactor, whose wife’s name was Emily.

And what an astonishing church it is!  The frescos and stain glass were all done by the same artist, Guido Nincheri, a Florentine.  This photo does not do them justice.

 

It really is a museum today because the Bishop closed it in 2002.  A group of citizens bought it for $1.00 (but they also assumed its debt) and they offer tours to keep it open for visitors to enjoy the art.  It still is a consecrated church since the Bishop does allow two masses a year…on dates that he chooses.

A little town…with a big heart…and great pride.