Sainte-Anne-de-Beaumont Chapel
643 Beaumont Road, Memramcook, New Brunswick, E4K, Canada
Formally Recognized:
2005/01/01
Other Name(s)
n/a
Links and documents
n/a
Construction Date(s)
1842/01/01
Listed on the Canadian Register:
2004/11/25
Statement of Significance
Description of Historic Place
The Sainte-Anne-de-Beaumont Chapel Provincial Historic Site consists of a property including a Roman Catholic church and cemetary located on a small hill overlooking the Petitcodiac River on an old First Nations Reserve in the present village of Memramcook.
Heritage Value
Built in 1842 by the Mi’kmaq people in collaboration with local Acadians, the Sainte-Anne-de-Beaumont Chapel is the oldest chapel used for worship by the Mi’kmaq of New Brunswick. It examplifies the relations that existed between the Acadians, the Catholic Church, and the Mi’kmaq at that time. The first mass in the chapel was celebrated by the builder and priest Reverend Ferdinand Gauvreau. For more than 150 years, mass has been celebrated in the chapel on July 26, the feast day of St. Ann, patron saint of the Mi’kmaq. The chapel’s simple design is based on the Georgian style. Master carpenter Hilaire Arsenault oversaw construction of the building. Source: New Brunswick Culture and Sport Secretariat, Heritage Branch, Site File # 38.
Character-Defining Elements
Character-defining elements of the church include: - the Gothic Revival pointed arch tracery inserted in a roman arched frame; The façade featuring a bull’s-eye window above the main entrance with a bell tower. The bell tower with at its top a cross; - the exterior covering of clapboard; - the interior was restored in 1900; - the pews and the gallery date from the early 20th century; - the high altar; - the cellar entrance and vestibule additions; - the cornerstone engraved with the date 1842 is visible.
Recognition
Jurisdiction
New Brunswick
Recognition Authority
Province of New Brunswick
Recognition Statute
Historic Sites Protection Act, s. 2(1)
Recognition Type
Historic Sites Protection Act – Historic
Recognition Date
2005/01/01
Historical Information
Significant Date(s)
n/a
Theme - Category and Type
- Building Social and Community Life
- Religious Institutions
- Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life
- Architecture and Design
- Building Social and Community Life
- Education and Social Well-Being
Function - Category and Type
Current
- Community
- Cultural Space
- Religion, Ritual and Funeral
- Aboriginal Sacred Site
Historic
- Religion, Ritual and Funeral
- Religious Facility or Place of Worship
Architect / Designer
n/a
Builder
Reverend Ferdinand Gauvreau
Additional Information
Location of Supporting Documentation
New Brunswick Culture and Sport Secretariat, Heritage Branch, Site File # 38
Cross-Reference to Collection
Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier
38
Status
Published
Related Places
n/a