Terrebonne Church

You are now on the site of the old Terrebonne Church. This stone church is built in 1734 to replace the first chapel of the "Les Bois" mission inaugurated by Louis Lepage, pastor of Sainte-Claire in 1723. At that time the twenty families living on the land of Terrebonne founded the parish of Saint-Louis-de-Terrebonne, today known as the parish of Saint-Louis-de-France. In fact, if you look behind you toward the hill, you can see the pinion of the new church.

Originally, the old church had two side chapels forming a cross. It underwent several modifications and additions over time, particularly in 1829, when it is extended by twenty feet, ending in a semi-circle. Several ornaments are then added to the exterior. In 1879, the new church of Saint-Louis-de-France was inaugurated atop the hill. Since this made the old church obsolete, the latter was demolished the following year.

WHAT WAS FOUND DURING THE ARCHEOLOGICAL SEARCH ON THE FUTURE SITE OF THE THÉÂTRE DU VIEUX-TERREBONNE IN FALL 2002?

CHOICES
1) First Nations artifacts.
2) Remains of the foundations of the first church in Terrebonne.
3) Fossils of gastropods of the Cambrian era.
4) The remains of an ancient cemetery dating back to the 18th century.

4) The remains of an ancient cemetery dating back to the 18th century.

The 2002–2003 archaeological excavations uncovered the remains of an 18th century cemetery. After 120 years of use, this former cemetery contained about 7,000 bodies. In 1840, the land was bought to serve as a cemetery on what is now the parking lot and the city hall; it is moved again in 1886, onto Montée Masson.

The building of the Theatre du Vieux-Terrebonne covers the land where 141 bodies were buried. The remains were moved before work could resume. They were buried again at the regional cemetery (Chemin Martin), where a monument was raised in their memory.

WHO WAS THE ARTIST WHO INAUGURATED THE THÉÂTRE DU VIEUX-TERREBONNE?

CHOICES
1) The French singer Johnny Hallyday
2) The humorist Dominic Sion
3) The French singer Serge Lama
4) The singer Marie-Mai

3) The French singer Serge Lama

On October 6th 2004, the French singer Serge Lama inaugurated the hall of the Théâtre du Vieux-Terrebonne (TVT). The Desjardins venue is the only hall and contains 656 seats. The theater also puts on shows in the Moulinet venue, located in the Moulin-Neuf on Île-Des-Moulins, with a capacity of about 110 spectators. Each year, some 170,000 spectators experience the varied content of the TVT. The Saint Sacrament College also offers an auditorium with public performances, in Vieux-Terrebonne as well.