On Mount Lachapelle in Ville-Marie, a cross was installed by the Brothers of St. Gabriel in memory of one of their members who drowned.

According to the archives of the Brothers of St. Gabriel, Brother Aymard drowned in Lake Témiscamingue on May 17, 1936. Although there is no explicit indication that the cross was erected in his honor, the archives show that the brothers went to pray at this cross in May 1946. Mr. Gilles Amesse mentioned that his father told him that a brother had drowned near the brothers’ cottage close to the granite quarry, and that’s when the cross was erected. In the 1940s, there were some ceremonies on the mountain, including those involving army cadets, but since then, there have been no further activities.

According to Mr. Robert Desjardins, the cross was installed in 1940 or 1941, and his father, Mr. Léopold Desjardins, who was a tinsmith, was tasked with covering it with sheet metal. The installation was carried out by the Brothers of St. Gabriel, as they wanted a cross on the south side of the mountain to complement the one already present on the north side at the grotto.

This cross is a part of the Témiscamingue heritage and is one of the oldest still existing in the region. In 2017, the Témiscamingue Historical Society installed an explanatory plaque at the site to provide accurate information to visitors and enhance their knowledge of Témiscamingue’s history.

The mountain belongs to Mr. Gaston Saucier, and he welcomes visitors to the site to visit the cross. There is a trail accessible just beside 16 Bellehumeur Street in Ville-Marie.