A network of authentic heritage villages, located in remarkable landscapes

All Rights Reserved, 1998 / 2012, Association of the Most Beautiful Villages of Quebec

A land rich in history and landscapes

Located some twenty kilometres down the Saint Lawrence from Montreal Island, the village of Verchères is nestled harmoniously between the Saint Lawrence River to the north, and rich farming lands to the south.

In 1665, François Jarret arrived with the Carignan-Salières regiment, and in 1672, founded the seigneury of Verchères, which was one of the most vulnerable targets of the Iroquois attacks. In 1690, Jarret’s wife, Marie Perrot, defended Verchères Fort for two days. Then, in 1692, in her mother’s spirit, their fourteen-year-old daughter Madeleine fought back an Iroquois attack for eight days. Today, you can admire Madeleine de Verchères' achievement in a statue by Louis-Phillippe Hébert. Erected in 1913 alongside the Saint Lawrence, this is the largest bronze statue in Canada.

Close by are the 1734 windmill (which serves as an art gallery in the summer) and the federal quay, with a boardwalk open to visitors. A window on the river, Pioneer Park (Parc des Pionniers) offers magnificent sunset views of ferries gliding by, and is a perfect spot to picnic and enjoy sports. From here, admire views of the islands of Île Marie, Île Bouchard, and Île aux Prunes.

Very close to the mill, discover Quebec’s last remaining chaloupe boat workshop, which produces the chaloupe, a unique type of flat-bottom boat, with an enduring and unrivalled reputation for quality.

The oldest section of the village is built around the church, in clusters of small, working-class homes, the majority of which are wooden. An helpful pamphlet entitled « À la découverte du vieux Verchères » (Discovering Old Verchères) take you through a self-guided historical tour.

The agricultural area demonstrates yet another aspect of the fertile land. Here, many fruit and vegetable growers provide an excellent selection of premium quality produce. In fact, the village farmers benefit from an island microclimate, which enables them to supply the Montreal region with its first harvests.

Verchères is also renowned for its patriots : French patriot Ludger Duvernay founded many newspapers including La Minerve, and established the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society, and the Saint-Jean-Baptiste national holiday. Calixa-Lavallée, composed Canada`s national anthem, “O Canada”, which was sung for the first time on June 24, 1880. Madeleine de Verchère’s two nephews—Joseph Coulon de Villiers, (sieur of Jumonville, who was killed as he was reading a retreat summons to Colonel George Washington on the banks of Ohio), and his brother, Louis-Coulon de Villiers (who together with a group of men, defeated Fort Necessity after his brother’s murder).

Vercheres: where citizens are proud, warm. always ready to start a discussion with visitors;
year round with magnificent landscapes part of an unforgettable scenery;

a heaven for photographers or for just a quiet walk along the St-Lawrence River to enjoy life in a small village.

Verchères is where visitors dream of moving to... one day.

M. Alexandre Bélisle,

Mayor of Verchères