Church Point (

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

: ''Pointe-de-l'Église'') is an

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

community located on Saint Mary's Bay in the District of Clare,

Digby County, Nova Scotia Digby County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. History It was named after the Township of Digby; this was named in honour of Rear Admiral Robert Digby, who dispatched HMS ''Atalanta'' to convey Loyalists from New York City in ...

, Canada.

Local facilities

Church Point is home to

Université Sainte-Anne Université Sainte-Anne is a French-language university in Pointe-de-l'Église, Nova Scotia, Canada. It and the Université de Moncton in New Brunswick are the only French-language universities in the Maritime Provinces. History It was found ...

(about four hundred to five hundred students), the only French post-secondary institution in Nova-Scotia. It was founded on September 1, 1890, by

Gustave Blanche Gustave Maria Blanche (30 April 1849 – 26 July 1916) was a French-Canadian Roman Catholic priest, Bishop, and Vicar Apostolic of Golfe St-Laurent (now Baie-Comeau). Born in Josselin, Diocese de Vannes, France, the son of L. Blanche and Mari ...

, a

Eudist The Congregation of Jesus and Mary (), abbreviated CIM also known as the Eudists (Latin: ''Congregatio Eudistarum''), is a society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right for men in the Catholic Church. It was established in March 25, 1643 by Sai ...

Father. The university was named after

Saint Anne According to Christian apocryphal and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's name and that of her husband Joachim come o ...

, the mother of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

. Sainte-Anne is known for its French Immersion programs. The program is very strict about using immersion to learn the

French language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in N ...

(The French-Only Rule). At the official opening of the session, the student is asked to sign a pledge agreeing to speak French at all times during the program. As soon as the pledge is signed, the use of French is mandatory at all times. If a student is caught speaking English they will receive a warning. The third warning results in expulsion from the program, without a refund. The rural location of the university means there are few opportunities for students to congregate outside of earshot, compared to more urban campuses where off-campus outings would provide ample opportunity for communication in English. However, Church Point is known primarily for the tallest wooden church in North America, Sainte Marie Church (French: ''Église Sainte-Marie''), which is located just north of the university. Since the year 2000 this church is a registered museum. A Visitor Centre, housing an Acadian interpretive centre and visitor information, is located on the university campus. An Acadian Odyssey Monument commemorating the founding of Clare was erected in September 2015, and is situated in front of the Visitor Centre. Also on the university campus houses the local arena and the home of the

Clare Acadiens Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

hockey association.

History

The Catholic Church Sainte-Marie, was built from 1903 to 1905. Today it is on the "

Evangeline Trail The Evangeline Trail is a scenic roadway in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located in the western part of the province, bringing visitors to the Minas Basin, the Annapolis Valley and the Gulf of Maine. The route connects Mount Uniack ...

" and borders the campus of

, the only

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

in Nova Scotia. Pointe-de-l'Église continues to constitute part of a thriving

Acadian French Acadian French (french: français acadien, acadjonne) is a variety of French spoken by Acadians, mostly in the region of Acadia, Canada. Acadian French has 7 regional accents, including chiac and brayon. Phonology Since there was relatively li ...

linguistic presence in Nova Scotia.

Church Point Lighthouse

A Lighthouse was built in 1874 by G. S. Parker. It was a white wooden pepper-shaker-type tower standing 9.4 meters tall and topped by a red lantern room. The light was discontinued in 1984, while the dwelling was removed from the site sometime around 1953 when the light was electrified and made unwatched. The neglected Church Point Lighthouse was destroyed by a powerful spring storm in March 2014. A “replica” of the original lighthouse was built and opened to the public in 2017.Church Point Lighthouse
lighthousefriends.com

External links

Sainte Marie Church, Church Point, Nova Scotia
historicplaces.ca
Church Point Lighthouse
lighthousefriends.com

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pointe-De-L'eglise, Nova Scotia Communities in Digby County, Nova Scotia General Service Areas in Nova Scotia