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English: I stopped for a short break and saw this church was opened so I decided to get some shots.

On June 24, 1785, two men carved a cross on a tall pine tree, in the middle of the Bouctouche wilderness, as a symbol of their faith. Charlitte and François LeBlanc had left Memramcook six days before to explore the region, finally stopping on the fertile land by the shores of Bouctouche Bay. The LeBlanc brothers knelt at the foot of the tree bearing the cross and asked God to protect their future church, thereby taking part in one of the first Catholic services in what is now St-Jean Baptiste Parish.

The humble cross marked by these two settlers was followed by country churches, chapels and, eventually, magnificent cathedrals, such as the neogothic church built at Pointe-à-Jacquot in 1898. Although it burnt to the ground in 1921, this church was rebuilt, with its current foundations laid in 1926.

Services were held in the church basement until 1954, when Msgr. Désiré Allain undertook the supervision of the final work on the church. The edifice was completed between 1954 and 1955 under architect Edgar Courchesne and built by Abbey Landry, an Acadian.

The imposing façade has three entranceways and a corner bell topped by a narrow spire that holds the illuminated cross high above the parish. The other end of the façade houses the baptistery turret. The statue of the church¹s patron saint, generously donated by the McLaughlin family, is a stunning work in Carrara marble, weighing in at four tons. This church was consecrated during ceremonies in August, 1967 and is one of the most significant examples of Dom Bellot-style architecture in Canada.