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                                         Our Church,
                                 Where it All Began

The church in Saint-Paul-de-l'Île-aux-Noix, like many others in Québec is of reputable interest.

It is a place of choice for visitors, although most have no knowledge of its unusual history.

This tale begins in 1898, on March 17 when the Saint-Valentin church burned down. In those days, both Saint-Paul-de-l'Ile-aux-Noix and Saint-Valentin belonged to the parish of Saint-Valentin.

After the fire, residents of Saint-Valentin demanded that the church be rebuilt closer to the heart of the region. In their opinion it would be more appropriate, since the old church had been initially erected on the shore of the Richelieu River. Reason for this matter was that the parish priest was financially rewarded by the government for his work with the soldiers stationed in Fort Lennox.

Since there were no more soldiers on the Île-aux-Noix, there was no reason to rebuild on the river shore. Residents of Stottsville had solid contentions; one of them was that the railway passed through the village and moreover trains halted there.

A circle of influential people crusaded against this project, but the bishop determined the church would be rebuilt closer to the railway. Infuriated by the bishop's decision, the group that had requested the church be rebuilt closer to the river then demanded the bishop split the territory in two. This is how Saint-Paul-de-l'Île-aux-Noix was created in the fall of 1898.

The first church of Saint-Paul-de-l'Île-aux-Noix was built in 1900-1901 to be destroyed one more time by fire in October 1940. The actual church was erected in 1941 for a total cost of $30 550.

For mass schedule or other services please contact: 450-291-3836

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