Roadside crosses in
Abitibi-Témiscamingue
Québec Canada

 

Who I am

My name is Henri Giroux. I am a catholic priest in the diocese of Rouyn-Noranda in N-W Québec in Canada. I am 58 years old and on November 12th 2008 I will be celebrating 25 years of priesthood. I was born in the Sudbury area in Ontario. Before becoming a priest I was a geologist and it was my work as a geologist that first brought me to this here mining area of Canada.

 

My objective

The numerous roadside crosses in this area are of particular interest to me. For me they are an expression of christian faith. They are also a reflection of the mystery of the cross and Christ's saving passion. These symbols are an expression of how profoundly these mysteries are imbedded in the life and the history of the french canadian people. Therefore in putting these pictures of the roadside crosses on a website I would like to share this religious and historic treasure with others. But I am not an historian I am a priest. Even though it would be very interesting to do a detailed historic analysis of every cross, for the time being my objective is merely religious and artistic.

 

The Abitibi-Temiscaming area

The Abitibi-Temiscaming area in NW Québec is a vast region--approximately 300 kms.N-S,and approximately 300 kms. N-W. This region is one of natural resources--mining and forestry. But there is also a lot of  farming activity in many areas. As you can see  my project requires that I do a lot of mileage along main roads and especially along secondary dirt roads. But it also allows me to visit thoroughly this beautiful and out of the way part of the country.

 

The roadside crosses

The crosses you see everywhere along the roadsides as you travel in this area have been erected for many different reasons: personal expression of faith, pride in being catholic, respect for the faith of one's elders, promise made with respect to a favor that was obtained, etc...Every cross is unique, and that's what interests me. When taking my pictures I've had to limit myself to the major crosses. What I mean is that I did not include the numerous little crosses along the roadsides erected when persons deceased there following a car accident. I've included about five crosses in cemeteries which I found exceptionally beautiful. I found that generally the roadside crosses in this area are fairly well kept and in good condition. But obviously there are some exceptions. To my surprise I also discovered that some crosses are relatively recent: ex. three crosses of Dozulé inspiration. One cross in the present collection of pictures no longer exists. When possible I've tried to photograph the same crosses in different seasons. This is an on-going project; when I take other pictures, which I well intend to do I'll add them to my website. If I would have to hazard a guess as to the number of major crosses in the Abitibi-Temiscaming area I'd say about 300.

 

If you would like to obtain some of the pictures

I've already stated what my purpose is in undertaking this project. I'm not doing it for money. But I certainly don't want others to make money from my work. Therefore I have taken the necessary precautions. On this website I have downgraded the quality of the pictures. The originals are very large pictures (an average of 2.0Mo.). If you would like to obtain pictures of some of the crosses, arrangements can be made to send them by E-mail, or maybe a CD can be sent. This site includes a way of communicating with me. I have had to limit the number of pictures to include on my website, but I also have many pictures of these same crosses.

 

Conclusion

I hope that this website will contribute in making better known and appreciated these beautiful and precious crosses which are such an integral part of the history and heritage of the french canadian people.
For me they show how profoundly the catholic faith is part even of the identity of the french canadians. And in a faith perspective these crosses demonstrate how the mystery of the cross and salvific passion have marked not only the countryside of the area but also and especially have given meaning to the life and existence of the local population throughout their history. Unfortunately our secularized society seems to disregard that dimension too often.
On this website I have included a possibility of contacting me.  Feel free to give me suggestions and commentaries.