Description of Historic Place

The Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska Church, a place of worship built of local granite in 1923 in the Romanesque style, is located on Principale Street, in the centre of the village of Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska. Its elevated position on a high promontory makes it a landmark that is very visible from a distance. The property includes the cemetery associated with the church.

Heritage Value

The Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska Church is recognized as a Local Historic Place for its value as a place of worship for the region’s Roman Catholic population. It symbolizes the religious zeal demonstrated by annual pilgrimages to Sainte-Anne since the parish was first founded. It was during the time of the first resident parish priest, Father Isaac Dumont, circa 1886, that the Feast of St. Anne was celebrated for the first time. This act of devotion to St. Anne has continued and become a well-established annual tradition among the devout across the region. Also, the church’s location on the village’s highest promontory reflects the importance of the Roman Catholic religion to the local residents and its ongoing presence. The adjacent cemetery continues to serve as a final resting place for members of the community.

The local heritage value of the Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska Church lies in its architectural importance. It was built in 1923 in the Romanesque style, which is evidenced mainly by the presence of many Roman arches on both the exterior and the interior. Made of local granite and laid out in a Latin cross plan, the church has a wide central nave and small transepts. The architectural firm Bélanger & Roy supplied the plans for the church’s interior finish in the mid-1950s.

The Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska Church is further recognized for the collection of artworks associated with it. The two steeples are topped by two immense iron crosses 16 feet high forged by Edgar St-Pierre. In 1947, a heavy statue of St. Anne was placed on top of the roof of the main façade. The frescos of St. Anne and Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes were painted in 1960 by artist Mario Mauro (1920-1985). Various components of the finish, including the pews, the grillwork above the altar, and the trim, are characteristic of the interior finish period ranging from the 1950s to the early 1960s. The stained glass windows, the balustrade, the altars, and the pulpit were crafted by Arts Appliqués de Québec. Lastly, the painted works on the front of the galleries were produced by local artist Yves Thibodeau in 1995.

Source: Société Historique Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska, File “Église Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska”

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe the Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska Church as a whole include:
- location on a promontory in the centre of the village;
- adjacent cemetery ;
- green spaces and rows of trees;
- two entrances off Principal Street.

The character-defining elements that describe the exterior of the Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska Church include:
- construction of local granite, with a stone bearing the date 1923;
- Latin cross plan;
- two steeples, each topped by a wrought iron cross;
- two chimneys at the ends of the transepts;
- Roman arch windows;
- numerous exterior Roman arch features;
- scalloped motif on the eaves and cornices;
- stone cross above the main entrance;
- statue of Saint Anne on the gable on the main façade.

The character-defining elements that describe the interior of the Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska Church include:
- trim, doors, and confessionals;
- grillwork;
- galleries featuring paintings by Yves Thibodeau;
- pews;
- terrazzo floors;
- numerous statues;
- two paintings by Mario Mauro;
- Italian stained glass window on the wall of the sacristy;
- stained glass windows, balustrade, altar, and pulpit crafted by Arts Appliqués de Québec.