François-Xavier Michaud Manse

The heritage value of François-Xavier Michaud Manse as a local historic place resides in the importance of the work of Father François-Xavier Michaud (1841-1903) in Bouctouche.

Parish priest for the area from 1876 to 1903, Father Michaud was one of the leading priests in the Acadian Renaissance. In addition to overseeing the construction of the village’s Gothic Revival church, he founded the Convent of the Immaculate Conception, which became one of the main educational institutions in Acadia. Father Michaud set up the Société d’Agriculture and was one of the promoters of the railway linking Bouctouche to Moncton. He was also a zealous Acadian nationalist who went as a delegate to the Congrès de Québec in 1880.

François-Xavier Michaud Manse is attributed heritage value because of its architectural quality. Newspapers of the time report that Father Michaud was the architect of these buildings. This elegant Greek Revival residence was built in 1880. The large square massing of this two-and-a-half storey house is accentuated by a veranda on two sides. An architectural ornament is created by the two-storey central bay with an engaged hexagonal dormer that sits on the front veranda. The grounds include a large garden and a Lourdes grotto set up in 1953 in memory of Father Michaud.