Saint Bernard Church

With its 212 feet in length, 92 feet of width, its arches church rising 70 feet above the ground, this magnificent church is the largest along the French shore. It is also ranked among the largest churches in eastern Canada by having a volume of close to 1 million cubic feet.

It is a living example of the dedication and unity of the Acadian farmers, fishermen, and lumbermen who built it between 1910-1942 adding one single row of granite blocks each year.

The churches walls are three feet thick and reinforced with steel beams which are held together with rivets made on site by the village blacksmith. The 8000 blocks of stone were hauled a distance of 120 miles from Shelburne by train and two men and their ox-teams working seven months of the year over a period of twenty years. The blocks were carted to the construction site where they were cut and dressed entirely by hand tools.

Although the interior has a stone-like appearance, the walls and ceiling were actually made with 96 tons of plaster. While the top layer of plaster was still soft, hand tools mapped out a grid pattern to create the look of seams and mortar as you would see between stone blocks. Kerosene lamps were still used at this time for interior lighting. The church seats 1000 and was constructed in a time when families were much larger and therefore was built to accommodate a quickly growing population.

The altar is constructed of "Botticino" Italian marble and the church also houses a Grand "Casavant" organ containing 2000 pipes. Although beautiful stained glass windows were originally planned construction money became scarce and the church had to make due with clear glass. Many who visit the church and who notice the beautiful simplicity of the windows in the gigantic gothic style church will tell you that sometimes less is more. Guided tours of this magnificent monument are available throughout the summer months and,classical music concerts are held here as part of "Musique St Bernard".

Musicians from all over the country are invited to play in this elegant place of worship. Sunday morning mass is still celebrated in Saint Bernard Church at 11:00 o'clock however high heating costs have forced the relocation of mass in the winter to a more easily heated decorated chamber in the lower level of the church. Of course visitors are always welcomed to attend mass.

Admission: free, Donations accepted