Sainte-Marie: Heritage and Rural Discoveries

Religious heritage, historic houses, and rural landscapes give Sainte-Marie a diverse character. You can discover the town through its architectural history and museums, or focus on the nature park and a tourist cycling route. Which of these sides appeals to you most may also influence your choice of a vacation rental in Sainte-Marie.

Heritage and Historic Tours

The Église de Sainte-Marie is a Catholic place of worship built between 1857 and 1859. In addition to the church, the religious heritage tour includes the rectory, the Oblate monastery, the Chapelle Sainte-Anne, votive chapels, and roadside crosses. Visitors interested in religious buildings and local heritage can explore a variety of stops here, rather than focusing on just one building.

The chapels on the religious tour are subject to seasonal access rules: they are open during the summer season, until the first snowfall. Outside that period, visits are possible by reservation. If you plan to visit these stops in particular, keep this rule in mind when planning the timing of your trip.

Another historic tour runs along Rue Notre-Dame, from the Chapelle Sainte-Anne to the Maison Dupuis. The route connects these two named endpoints as part of the tour. It offers a different perspective on Sainte-Marie from the thematic approach of the religious heritage tour.

The Maison Pierre-Lacroix was built between 1820 and 1830 and is one of the oldest surviving homes in the Seigneurie de Sainte-Marie. It is the only example of its kind in Sainte-Marie and also one of the few such stone houses in the region. For visitors especially interested in historic homes, this particular building type is a distinct reason to pay attention to the townscape.

Family History and Aviation

During a guided tour of the Maison J.-A. Vachon, visitors learn how the Vachon family developed Pâtisserie Vachon from a modest family business into a major institution. The focus is on the company’s history and its development. This offers a different way to explore Sainte-Marie’s past from looking at historic buildings: the family and the company’s journey take center stage.

The Musée du Major Dupuis is located in the Maison Dupuis, which Major Dupuis’s father, Hermias Dupuis, had built in 1893. The Musée de l’aviation is also located on the Maison Dupuis grounds. It showcases aviation pioneers in Sainte-Marie, with exhibits covering artifacts, history, intrigue, and adventure. Visitors who want to choose among different historical themes can explore architectural history, the story of Major Dupuis, and aviation history separately.

Nature Park and Rural Landscapes

The Domaine Taschereau–Parc Nature is both an ecological park and a historic site in Sainte-Marie. Nature and history therefore come together in the site’s name and its described function. Sainte-Marie’s tourist cycling route passes through rural landscapes, offering a different focus from visiting historic houses and museums. If you want to shape your trip around landscape experiences or culture, these different themes can help you choose your personal focus. No information about the cycling route’s length or difficulty can be inferred from this.

Halte VR Sainte-Marie also offers practical amenities for travelers with a recreational vehicle: drinking water and a dump station are available there.

Other places to explore as travel destinations: Frampton, Scott, Vallée-Jonction, Saints-Anges.

For the broader travel overview: La Nouvelle-Beauce.