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The Cross of Gaspé is a
The cross was carved in 1934 from a single block of grey granite, extracted from the Auguste Dumas quarry in Rivière-à-Pierre, Quebec. The cross weighs more than 42 tons and was transported to
The Cross of Gaspé is a monolithic
A monolith is a monument or natural feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock.
Monolith or monolithic may also refer to:
Architecture
* Monolithic architecture, a style of construction in which a building is carved, cast or excavated f ...
granite cross installed in 1934 in the town of Gaspé, Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
, commissioned by the Government of Canada
The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...
to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of French explorers in Canada. The original Cross of Gaspé was erected on July 24, 1534 overlooking the bay of Gaspé, by the team of Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier (; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French maritime explorer from Brittany. Jacques Cartier was the first Europeans, European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, wh ...
on his first trip exploration in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Planting the cross symbolized the ownership of the territory on behalf of the King of France, Francis I. The original wooden cross was probably planted on the edge of the basin north of the York River.
Granite Cross at Gaspé
This cross of Gaspé was commissioned by the federal government at a cost of $7,000 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of French explorerJacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier (; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French maritime explorer from Brittany. Jacques Cartier was the first Europeans, European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, wh ...
in the Bay of Gaspé on July 24, 1534. It was unveiled on August 25, 1934.
The cross was carved in 1934 from a single block of grey granite, extracted from the Auguste Dumas quarry in Rivière-à-Pierre, Quebec. The cross weighs more than 42 tons and was transported to Quebec City
Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
on two cars by rail from Rivière-à-Pierre. The cross was then carried on a coaster to the Gaspé dock. From the dock, the cross was drawn on rollers using hoists by one of the first tractors to be used in Gaspé and raised using a rail system of pulleys and cables, driven by the strength of many horses and a tractor.
A commemorative plaque located at the foot of the cross of Gaspé was inaugurated on August 23, 2009 (75 years after the erection of the granite cross), in memory of artisans of Rivière-à-Pierre, Quebec who extracted and cut this block of granite which become the monolithic cross.
The Cross of Gaspé has been located at three sites in Gaspé. From 1934 to 1979 it was on Queen Street facing the current "Place Jacques-Cartier" business centre, on the same site of a Second World War memorial. From 1979 to Fall 2012 it stood on the grounds of the Cathedral of Christ-Roi. In October 2012, it was moved to a new site "Gaspé, Berceau du Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
" (Gaspé, Cradle of Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
), on the water near the Gaspé bridge.Marie-Claude Costisella, Article. "La croix de Gaspé déménage" (The cross of Gaspé moved), the Pharillon, published on October 18, 2012
Replica of the cross at Rivière-à-Pierre (Quebec, Canada)
A replica of the cross was cut byRivière-à-Pierre
Rivière-à-Pierre () is a municipality of the Portneuf Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of the Capitale-Nationale. This area of the Laurentian Mountains is part of the Batiscanie, Quebec, Batiscanie and has more than ...
craftsmen and erected in the heart of the village of Rivière-à-Pierre
Rivière-à-Pierre () is a municipality of the Portneuf Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of the Capitale-Nationale. This area of the Laurentian Mountains is part of the Batiscanie, Quebec, Batiscanie and has more than ...
located in Batiscanie
Batiscanie, a vernacular name, of a territory located in the Mauricie region, divided between the RCMs of Les Chenaux, Portneuf and Mékinac, in Quebec, Canada.
The name Batiscanie evokes, without geopositioning it, the territory of the Bati ...
, in the province of Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
, Canada. This cross of granite is half the height of the original cross of Gaspé.
Cross of Saint-Malo, France
A cross was erected at the Solidor Tower in (Saint-Malo
Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo language, Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany.
The Fortification, walled city on the English Channel coast had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth ...
), France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
to mark the erection of a wooden cross on July 24, 1534 by the French explorer Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier (; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French maritime explorer from Brittany. Jacques Cartier was the first Europeans, European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, wh ...
in Gaspé.
Notes and references