Religion in Life at Louisbourg, 1713-1758

Book excerpt: AJ.B. Johnston establishes the secular and religious contexts of life in Louisbourg, and then traces the mixed fortunes of the three religious groups that served the French stronghold of Louisbourg during the eighteenth century. These were the Recollets of Brittany, who acted as parish priests and chaplains; the Brothers of Charity of Saint John of God, who operated the King's Hospital; and the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre-Dame, who conducted the local school for girls. Drawing on the extensive material in the Archives of the Fortress of Louisbourg, he notes the groups7 remarkable persistence in the face of personnel shortages, financial burdens, and conflicts with secular authorities and rival religious bodies. Not the least of their problems was the profound parsimony of the Louisbourgeois who declined to build a parish church or pay a compulsory tithe. Yet despite this independent stance, religion was at the centre of family and community life in Louisbourg, as the author demonstrates in a chapter devoted to the faith, morality, and popular beliefs of the town's inhabitants. The colourful military history of Louisbourg has been the subject of numerous books and articles, and the economy of He Royale has received close attention in recent years. This first comprehensive study of the religious aspects of life in this outpost of France's overseas empire contributes substantially to the social as well as the religious history of New France.