Magdalen Islands
Twenty-two Acadians from Isle Saint-Jean (Prince Edward Island) hired around 1761 by Richard Gridley, a Boston colonel who received a fishing and seal hunting permit for services rendered to the British Crown, were the first to settle in the Magdalen Islands.
In the early 1790s, another 250 Acadians who had taken refuge on the islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon set sail for the Magdalen Islands under the leadership of Abbé Jean-Baptiste Allain.
The Magdalen Islands were first annexed to Newfoundland in 1763, before coming under the jurisdiction of Quebec in 1774 through the Quebec Act. In 1798, Isaac Coffin obtained a concession and forced the islanders to pay rent to occupy the land they had cleared and occupied for many years. Added to this feudal domination was that of merchants over fishermen. These hardships and injustices explain the continual migration of these Acadians to new lands. Once again, they emigrated to St. George's Bay in Newfoundland, the North Shore, Lac-au-Saumon in the Matapédia Valley, Saguenay, and finally Abitibi-Témiscamingue, on Île-Népawa.
Today, Madelinots of Acadian origin make up nearly 86% of the population. There are large numbers ofArseneau, Boudreau, Gaudet, Poirier, Bourgeois, Petitpas, Cormier, Richard, Cyr, Hébert,andVigneau families.
Please click on a name in the list below to go directly to its designated section.
Havre Aubert
Museum of the Sea
Institution
The Musée de la Mer is a history museum overlooking a place deeply connected to the heritage of the Magdalen Islands:La Grave. This is where the history of the Magdalen Islands began.
The museum tells this story and that of the islanders. It stands guard, like a lighthouse, on this waterway where pioneers and conquerors arrived on the continent. The museum showcases the unique characteristics of Acadian Francophone culture, which flourished on an archipelago surrounded by predominantly English-speaking Maritime provinces in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
The museum is distinguished by its collections on fishing, navigation, shipwrecks, and the daily life of the Madelinots: fishermen, captains, sailors, farmers, schoolteachers and postmasters, merchants, day laborers, nurses, and doctors.
Frédéric Landry, a history and museum enthusiast and author of numerous books on the Islands, was the founder of the Musée de la Mer. He served as its executive director for nearly 33 years, from its creation in 1969 until his retirement in 2001. He passed away on March 28, 2012, after attending the inauguration of his "new" Musée de la Mer, which had been renovated and expanded.
June 30, 2013 marks the40thanniversary of the establishment of the Maritime Museum at its current location, Cape Gridley. To mark the occasion, a new permanent exhibitionentitled LIVING IN THE ISLANDS – EXPERIENCING THE ISLANDSwill be unveiled.It covers all aspects of the history of the Islands and the lives of the Madelinots, from the earliest days to the present, from the perspective of the identity of this maritime and insular people, two aspects that are inseparable from this rich culture and living heritage. The permanent exhibition highlights the collections of the Musée de la Mer: more than 5,000 artifacts and old photographs that tell the story of life on the Islands, in addition to written, audiovisual, and cartographic documents.
Text written or compiled by Michelle Joannette and the Acadian Museum of Quebec
Charles-Nazaire Boudreau plaque
Place of interest
Church of Our Lady of the Visitation
300, chemin d’en Haut
A plaque commemorating the work of Charles-Nazaire Boudreault is located in the entrance of Notre-Dame-de-la-Visitation Church.
In memory of Rev. Charles Nazaire Boudreault, first priest of the Magdalen Islands, founder of this church, who died on June 14, 1888, at the age of sixty-eight. Those who teach justice to many, will be like stars in the eternal ages. His grateful former parishioners. R.I.P.
Source
- Writings by Pierre-Cornélius Carbonneau, Rose-Délima Gaudet: Missionary Odyssey, 1720-1900
- Dennis Boudreau, Genealogical Dictionary of the Families of the Magdalen Islands, 1760-1948
Text written or compiled by Pauline Carbonneau and the Acadian Museum of Quebec
Historic site of La Grave
Place of interest
966 QC-199, Havre-Aubert, Magdalen Islands.
La Grave is a heritage site linked to traditional fishing activities. The word grave refers to the stretch of pebbles near the sea. This is where the history of the Magdalen Islands began, on the island of Havre Aubert.
The first people to visit La Grave did so to seek shelter. In the days of sailing ships, sailors crossing the Gulf of St. Lawrence could take refuge there in the event of a storm. Later, the area became a place for processing and preserving fish products.
During the 16th century, the area was frequented by Native Americans from the mainland, Basques, Bretons, and Normans, who dried their catches on the gravel.
Around 1760, Richard Gridley established a fishing and walrus hunting post on the Islands. He operated it until 1765, hiring a group of Acadians to work for him. They were the first permanent occupants of the Islands. The initial core of the sedentary population grew rapidly with the arrival of other refugees from the Acadian deportation.
All along the riverbank, there are huts used to store fishermen's equipment. The area is lined with small shops, warehouses, and salt marshes. The inhabitants of the archipelago go there to stock up on supplies such as flour, salted meat, crockery, and fabric.
For nearly two centuries, La Grave was used for unloading, processing, salting, and drying fish.
The workers of the sea no longer occupy this site, but several buildings bear witness to their former activities, even if their purpose has changed. For example, a saltworks now serves as a workshop for a craftsman, while the general store has become a charming café and the fish factory an aquarium.
Today, La Grave refers to a group of historic buildings and shops, a place that is an integral part of the collective universe of the Madelinots.
La Grave was designated a heritage site in 1983 by the Ministry of Culture and Communications.
Text written or compiled by the Acadian Museum of Quebec
Text written or compiled by the Acadian Museum of Quebec
Father Charles-Nazaire Boudreau
Personality
Abbé Charles-Nazaire Boudreau was the first Acadian priest born in the Magdalen Islands. After completing his classical studies at the Séminaire de Sainte-Thérèse and his theological studies at the Grand Séminaire de Montréal, he was ordained a priest in 1848. A year later, he returned to the Islands and became the head of the Notre-Dame-de-la-Visitation parish, which he led until 1888.
Abbé Boudreau had the first sanctuary built in Bassin and a magnificent wooden church in Havre-Aubert. He was also the architect of a convent built in Havre-Aubert (1876) for the purpose of training female teachers, but the nuns chose to settle in Havre-aux-Maisons instead. The convent served as a presbytery until its demolition in 1983. He opened a school in L'Étang-du-Nord and another in Saint-Pierre-de-La Vernière.
He paid for the education of several young people and taught evening classes himself. Wanting to improve the lives of his parishioners, he supported their demands to become owners of their land. In 1856, he had a flour mill built in Bassin. He was the official representative of the Magdalen Islands at the National Convention of Francophone Communities held in Quebec City on June 24, 1880, and at the National Acadian Conventions of 1881 and 1884. Father Charles-Nazaire Boudreau died in Havre-Aubert.
Text written or compiled by the Acadian Museum of Quebec
© Sea Museum Collection
Hill of the Cross
Place of interest
The first cross erected on one of the Demoiselles hills was blessed by Bishop Plessis during his visit to the Magdalen Islands in 1811.
In 1934, religious celebrations commemorating Jacques Cartier's arrival on the islands began on Butte de la Croix. Fifteen priests officiated alongside the parish priest. After blessing a new cross, Mass was celebrated in the chapel built for the occasion.
Religious ceremonies on August 15 in honor of Our Lady of the Assumption are celebrated in the chapel at the foot of the cross. A statue of the patron saint of the Acadians sits enthroned in a grotto on the side of Butte de la Croix to thank all donors for their support during the construction of the current church of the Notre-Dame-de-la-Visitation parish.
Source
Pierre-Cornélius Carbonneau. Various writings
Text written or compiled by Pauline Carbonneau and the Acadian Museum of Quebec
North Pond
Church of Saint-Pierre-de-la-Vernière
Place of interest
1329 La Vernière Road.
Nicknamed the Cathedral of the Islands, the church of Saint-Pierre-de-La Vernière is the second largest wooden church in North America, the oldest in the Magdalen Islands, and a jewel of the region's architectural heritage. It overlooks the landscape of Cap-aux-Meules Island and serves as an important landmark on land and sea.
Construction began in 1872 on land donated by Augustin Nadeau and was completed in 1881. The frame was built with wood from a shipwreck, which was sawn during the winter as part of community service projects. From 1900 to 1903, the church was significantly enlarged. The parish priest at the time, Jérémie Blaquière, wanted to make it the largest Catholic church on the Islands. He drew up the plans and supervised the work. The church took the shape of a Latin cross. The building was struck by lightning several times and underwent frequent restorations, to which many parishioners contributed voluntarily.
The church was designated a heritage building by the Quebec Ministry of Culture and Communications in 1992.
Text written or compiled by the Acadian Museum of Quebec
Fatima
Mid-Lent
Event
Originating in the Middle Ages, Mid-Lent has survived through the ages in a few rare places around the world. To provide a little respite during Lent, a time of fasting and penance, a truce is established during this period, hence the name Mid-Lent. In the Magdalen Islands, only the village of Fatima has managed to preserve this unique celebration combining costumes, music, and joie de vivre.
The whole household dances and feasts while trying to figure out who is hiding behind the costumes, each one funnier than the last. Some people still make their own costumes, often months in advance and, above all, in secret! Others opt for the good old costume, often improvised, using old clothes. Many attics are well stocked with costumes and disguises. Most of the time, masks are purchased, with a few exceptions. There is a lot of ingenuity, color, and surprises every year! Many people prepare long in advance to welcome the Mi-Carêmeux. This collective entertainment is still popular with Madelinots today.
Text written or compiled by Isabelle Cummings and the Acadian Museum of Quebec
© Isabelle Cummings
Fatima Mid-Lent Eco-Museum
Institution
An integral part of the Acadian heritage of the Magdalen Islands, Mi-Carême has been attracting the curiosity of visitors to the archipelago for several years.
Open since June 2010, this eco-museum is the result of the work of a dozen volunteers from the Mi-Carême committee. For ten years, they have devoted their efforts and energy to developing this site. It is a place of education and awareness-raising, designed to promote this unique and important aspect of the living heritage of the Islands. Visitors can learn more about the origins of Mi-Carême, how it is celebrated in Fatima, and the role children play in this festival. A visit to the Mi-Carême Ecomuseum is an incursion into the heart of a living tradition and an unparalleled cultural experience.
Text written by Isabelle Cummings and the Acadian Museum of Quebec
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