L'Islet-sur-Mer

South Shore-Quebec-Canada

This commemorative plaque was unveiled on September 9, 2023 at the Salle des Habitants in L'Islet-sur-Mer by Arielle, Juliette and Alice Kirouac, granddaughters of André Kirouac (GFK 02252 *), former director of the Naval Museum of Quebec (Quebec).

It is now permanently installed during the tourist season inside the Chapelle des Marins in L'Islet-sur-Mer.

*Reference number in the Kirouac family genealogy, 1991 edition.

Text written on the plaque in homage to Élisabeth Chalifour and Simon-Alexandre Keroack

Homage to Élisabeth Chalifour and Simon-Alexandre Keroack

On this lot was born on 12 November 1739, Élisabeth Chalifour. On 15 June 1758, she married Simon-Alexandre Keroack dit le Breton. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Chalifour family gave a plot espacially to build a processionnal chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph. In 1935,  it was renamed Secours des Marins (sailors' saviour). The ancestral house built in 1681, is still standing across the road from the chapel. One of the descendants of the Chalifour-Kerouack family branch is Jack Kerouac, who became one of the most famous American writers of the twentieth century.

The Sailors chapel is a testimony to the courage of the L'Isletains who died at sea during the past centuries in times of war and in times of peace.

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45th  Anniversary of the Foundation of the Kirouac Family Association Inc.

9 September 2023

The Sailors' Chapel in L'Islet-sur-Mer

Built in 1835 for Corpus Christi processions, it bears witness to a Catholic tradition inherited from New France. Restored in 1935 and dedicated to Saint Joseph, it recalls the region's maritime past, honoring the lost sailors whose names are inscribed inside. Listed as a historic monument in 1981, it continues to serve as a place of worship.