In 1906, Abbé Elzéar Delamarre — a diocesan priest of the Chicoutimi Diocese — purchased a wooded tract on the western shore of Lac Ouiatchouan and chose it as the site for a hermitage dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua. The land was remote even by the standards of early-twentieth-century Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean: forested, edged by the long grey lake, and reachable only by rough roads. Construction began the following year. What Delamarre carried with him was a conviction shaped by Franciscan spirituality: that the poor and the sick of Quebec needed a place of prayer modeled on Franciscan simplicity, a place where heaven felt near.
The Ermitage Saint-Antoine de Lac-Bouchette opened formally with the blessing of its first chapel in 1908, and within a decade pilgrims were arriving from across the province, many of them pressing through the surrounding boreal forest on rough roads to reach the shore of Lac Ouiatchouan. The site grew through the twentieth century into a complex of chapels — including the modernist Chapelle Mariale completed in 1949, considered the first chapel of modern architecture in Quebec — alongside a Lourdes grotto, retreat houses, and a 25-metre observation tower bearing Saint Anthony's name. After Delamarre's death in 1925, the Capuchin Franciscans assumed administration of the Ermitage, and they have served it ever since. The site is one of five Canadian shrines recognized as national shrines by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Today the Ermitage sits on approximately 150 hectares of forested land along the lakeshore, roughly 255 kilometres north of Québec City. Birch and spruce frame the outdoor Via Crucis. Candlelight moves through the grotto at dusk. The lake beyond the chapel grounds reflects the sky as it did the day Delamarre first walked the property. Pilgrims from across Canada and beyond make the journey — some seeking healing, some fulfilling a vow, others simply drawn by the prayer that has settled into this place over generations.
📜 History & Spiritual Significance
Elzéar Delamarre was born in 1853 in the Charlevoix region of Quebec and was ordained for the Chicoutimi Diocese. Though never himself a member of a religious order, his piety was shaped by Franciscan spirituality — the poverello tradition of poverty, closeness to nature, and availability to ordinary people. The site he selected on the western shore of Lac Ouiatchouan, near the small village of Lac-Bouchette, was remote even by the standards of early twentieth-century Quebec. The land required clearing. The first structures were modest.
Construction of the first chapel began in 1907 and the chapel was blessed and dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua in 1908. Anthony — the thirteenth-century Franciscan born Fernando Martins de Bulhões in Lisbon in 1195, canonized in 1232, just one year after his death — was already one of the most beloved saints in Quebec's Catholic culture. His association with the finding of lost things and his intercessory power on behalf of the poor made him a natural patron for a pilgrimage site serving rural Quebecers who had little material security.
The addition of a Lourdes grotto changed the character of the site. Constructed in the early decades of the twentieth century as a replica of the grotto at Massabielle where Bernadette Soubirous received her visions beginning on February 11, 1858, the grotto at Lac-Bouchette became a centre of Marian devotion and a destination for the sick. A spring on the grounds was associated with reported cures, and word spread through the parishes of Quebec. The shrine's dual dedication — to Anthony and to Our Lady of Lourdes — paired Quebec's deep Marian piety with the Franciscan spirituality Delamarre had carried into the project.
The twentieth century brought expansion. A modernist Marian Chapel — Chapelle Mariale — was completed in 1949, considered the first chapel of modern architecture in Quebec. Retreat houses accommodated pilgrims who wished to stay for days or weeks. An outdoor Via Crucis was constructed among the trees, following the fourteen Stations of the Cross across the wooded terrain. A 25-metre observation tower bearing Saint Anthony's name rose above the lakeshore, lookout point and landmark together. The Ermitage came to occupy a place in the network of Quebec's major Catholic pilgrimage sites alongside Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Cap-de-la-Madeleine, and the Oratoire Saint-Joseph in Montréal, and was eventually designated a national shrine by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops — one of five so recognized in Canada.
The Capuchin Franciscans took over administration of the Ermitage in 1925, after Delamarre's death, in keeping with his wishes. The friars lead pilgrimages, celebrate Mass, hear confessions, and maintain the grounds. Their charism — Francis of Assisi's insistence that holiness belongs to the poor and that nature itself speaks of God — colours the atmosphere of the site. Pilgrims move between the chapels and the grotto and the lake's edge and the outdoor stations of the cross, and the transitions between stone and water and forest feel deliberate, as though the site's designers understood that prayer needed landscape.
☩ Pilgrimage Sites in Lac-Bouchette
Hermitage of Saint Anthony at Lac-Bouchette
Ermitage Saint-Antoine de Lac-Bouchette
The Ermitage encompasses the full pilgrimage complex on the western shore of Lac Ouiatchouan: a modernist Marian Chapel dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua and Our Lady of Lourdes (Chapelle Mariale, 1949), several smaller chapels, a Lourdes grotto with venerated spring water, an outdoor Via Crucis threading through boreal forest, retreat houses for pilgrims in residence, and a 25-metre Saint-Antoine observation tower rising above the lakeshore. The Marian Chapel — considered the first chapel of modern architecture in Quebec — holds the principal image of Saint Anthony and serves as the liturgical heart of the site. The grotto is the devotional heart: a stone-faced niche sheltering a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, modelled on the original at Massabielle, where pilgrims kneel on the bare ground and bring their petitions for healing. The Via Crucis, set among spruce and birch on uneven terrain, offers a physically demanding form of the ancient devotion, with stations spaced to allow for genuine meditation between each halt. The grounds, roughly 150 hectares in extent, include walking paths along the Lac Ouiatchouan shoreline and through the forest, making the Ermitage a place for extended contemplative retreat as much as for a single-day pilgrimage.
🕯️ Annual Feast Days & Celebrations
Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes — February 11
The anniversary of Bernadette Soubirous's first vision at Massabielle on February 11, 1858 is observed at the Ermitage with special Masses, prayer at the grotto, and devotions centered on the spring waters. Winter conditions at Lac-Bouchette in February — temperatures regularly below -15°C, the lake frozen, the forest under heavy snow — lend the commemoration a particular gravity. Pilgrims who come in February encounter the grotto in silence and cold, which the Capuchin tradition of the site regards as appropriate: the suffering that Lourdes addresses does not wait for mild weather.
Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua — June 13
The Feast of Saint Anthony on June 13 marks the anniversary of his death in Padua in 1231 and is the principal liturgical celebration of the Ermitage's founding patron. The June feast falls in the heart of the pilgrimage season, when the grounds are accessible and the surrounding forest is at its fullest. Solemn Mass is celebrated in the Marian Chapel, and the day draws pilgrims from across Quebec who come specifically to honor Anthony's intercession for the lost, the poor, and the ill. A novena in preparation for June 13 begins nine days prior, drawing pilgrims who arrive for extended prayer on the grounds.
Summer Pilgrimage Season — June through September
The pilgrimage season at Lac-Bouchette runs from June through September, when the roads through the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region are fully passable and organized parish pilgrimages from across Quebec arrive in groups. Candlelight processions at the grotto are a regular feature of the season, particularly on Marian feast days. The site accommodates individual pilgrims and organized groups throughout these months, with the Capuchin friars available for confession, spiritual direction, and the celebration of the sacraments.
🛏️ Where to Stay
Auberge de l'Ermitage (pilgrim accommodation) — The inn operated directly on the shrine grounds by the Capuchin Franciscan community, offering simple rooms and chalets for pilgrims seeking an immersive retreat. Full-board options are available. The Auberge accommodates individuals and groups during the pilgrimage season and is the natural choice for those whose primary purpose is prayer and participation in the life of the Ermitage. Website
Hôtel Château Roberval ⭐⭐⭐ — A mid-range hotel in Roberval on the southern shore of Lac Saint-Jean, approximately 20 km from the Ermitage. The town of Roberval offers restaurants, services, and straightforward access via Route 155 to Lac-Bouchette. Reserve this hotel
Hôtel du Jardin ⭐⭐⭐ — Located in Saint-Félicien, approximately 45 km west of the Ermitage, this hotel sits near the Zoo de Saint-Félicien and offers comfortable rooms with good regional access. A practical base for pilgrims exploring the broader Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region. Reserve this hotel
🚗 Getting There
By Air: The nearest regional airport is Aéroport de Bagotville (YBG), located approximately 70 km northeast of Lac-Bouchette near Saguenay. The airport serves scheduled domestic flights. Aéroport international Jean-Lesage de Québec (YQB) in Québec City, approximately 255 km south, offers more frequent connections and international service. Car rental is available at both airports; no public transit connects either airport to Lac-Bouchette.
By Car: From Québec City, take Autoroute 40 west to Autoroute 55 north, then continue on Route 155 north through La Tuque and into the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, following signs for Lac-Bouchette. The drive is approximately 3 hours. From Saguenay, take Route 170 west to Roberval, then Route 155 south to Lac-Bouchette — approximately 1 hour. The Ermitage is signposted on Route 155; the address is 250, route de l'Ermitage. Parking is available on site.
By Bus: Intercar operates coach service between Québec City and several Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean communities, with stops at Roberval approximately 20 km from Lac-Bouchette. Local taxi service from Roberval to the Ermitage would be required for the final leg.
📚 Further Reading
Books:
Valentin Strappazzon. Anthony of Padua: Franciscan, Preacher, Teacher, Saint — Scholarly biography (translated by Michael F. Cusato) tracing how Fernando of Lisbon became Saint Anthony, examining his preaching, theology, and the sources of his enduring popular devotion. (Catholic University of America Press, 2024)
Jack Wintz, O.F.M. Saint Anthony of Padua: His Life, Legends, and Devotions — Accessible Franciscan-authored introduction to the patron of the Ermitage, weaving biographical fact with the devotional traditions surrounding Anthony.
Francis Beauchesne Thornton. Catholic Shrines in the United States and Canada — Mid-twentieth-century survey of major North American shrines including Quebec's pilgrimage sites; useful historical context for the period when the Ermitage was rising to national prominence.
🎥 Recommended Videos
Ermitage Saint Antoine de Lac-Bouchette (1 de 2) — Footage of life at the Ermitage produced by the Capuchin friars themselves, offering a direct view of the site's daily rhythm. (Les frères mineurs Capucins; in French)
Ermitage Saint-Antoine au lac Bouchette — Short presentation of the shrine's spiritual atmosphere and the surrounding landscape. (Fondation du Grand Séminaire de Montréal; in French)
L'Ermitage Saint-Antoine de Lac-Bouchette accueille la famille Gagnon — Tourism profile of the Ermitage with footage of the chapels, grotto, and grounds. (Tourisme Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean; in French)
🔗 Useful Links
Ermitage Saint-Antoine de Lac-Bouchette — Official website of the Capuchin Franciscan pilgrimage complex with information on the grotto, chapels, retreat programs, and accommodation at the Auberge de l'Ermitage.
Diocese of Chicoutimi — The Diocese of Chicoutimi, which encompasses the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, provides pastoral and liturgical context for the Ermitage within the local Church.
Tourisme Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean — Regional tourism information including practical details on travel to Lac-Bouchette and the surrounding natural environment.
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops — National Shrines — Official CCCB page recognizing the Ermitage as one of five national shrines in Canada.
🥾 Pilgrim Routes
Quebec's National Shrines Circuit — The four CCCB-recognized national shrines in Quebec form a natural pilgrim circuit linking the Ermitage at Lac-Bouchette with Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré (approximately 185 km east), Cap-de-la-Madeleine (approximately 230 km south), and the Oratoire Saint-Joseph in Montréal (approximately 375 km south). The circuit is most commonly travelled by car, and the Ermitage serves as its northernmost anchor.
🧭 Nearby Pilgrimage Destinations
Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré (185 km east) — North America's oldest pilgrimage site and one of Canada's five CCCB-recognized national shrines, where the Basilica of Sainte-Anne has received the afflicted and the faithful since the seventeenth century.
Québec City (200 km south) — The historic fortified city is home to the Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Québec, the oldest parish north of Mexico, as well as other significant Catholic sites within the city walls.
Cap-de-la-Madeleine (230 km south) — The Shrine of Our Lady of the Cape (Notre-Dame-du-Cap), site of the 1888 miracle of the open eyes and a CCCB-recognized national Marian shrine.
Trois-Rivières (230 km south) — The city on the St. Lawrence holds the relics of Blessed Marie de l'Incarnation and serves as a regional Catholic heritage centre.
Montréal (375 km south) — Home to the Oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal, founded by Brother André Bessette and one of Canada's five CCCB-recognized national shrines.
🪶 Closing Reflection
"If you preach Jesus, he will melt hardened hearts; if you invoke him he will soften harsh temptations; if you think of him he will enlighten your mind; if you read of him he will satisfy your intellect."
— St. Anthony of Padua, quoted by Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, 10 February 2010
