Churches and Cemeteries
Les Pères Capucins du Lac Meach

The Capucin Fathers were an order of Friars in the Roman Catholic Church, one of the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. They wore a hood called a capuche, hence the popular name of Capucin. The Capucins chose to live in extreme poverty, austerity, and simplicity. The Capuchin Friars, settled on the shores of Meech Lake around 1900, to provide its members with a place of retreat and meditation far sounds of the city. In 1900, the first chapel at Meach Lake was built behind the cottage of the Capucins.
The chapel is located on the north shore of Meech Lake, in Gatineau Park. It was built in 1957 to replace an older one that had become too small. It then welcomed the 150 families of Meech Lake summer visitors who went there for Sunday mass. At the time, it cost $8,500. This building was only used during the summer season.
The Capuchin Chapel is said to be the work of architect Henri Tremblay of Quebec, who had already completed several contracts for this community, notably at Lac Bouchette, in the Lac-Saint-Jean region.
The Capuchin Chapel is built of wood and fiberglass. The shingle roof frames a fiberglass facade. Two small entrances are arranged on each side of the main facade. Next to the chapel is a wooden statue that is protected by a tapered construction, also made of wood, which creates the effect of a bell tower. The walls are opague, but the fiberglass allows light to enter. The floor beams rest on concrete blocks. The chapel has no electricity or running water.
In 1900, Father Alexis de Barbezieux, a minor Capuchin friar, acquired the land for his community and developed it into a vacation spot that then included a large wooden house, small cottages and a chapel. Of all the buildings, only the chapel and two dilapidated cottages remain.
The National Capital Commission acquired the property in 1968 and still allows the Capuchins to use the premises today.


Additional resources:
Les Pères Capucins du Lac Meach published in Volume 8
List of Gatineau Valley Churches.