Louise Pothier wrote:
>
> Dear colleagues,
>
> I am presently working on a project in the Old Montreal, which is the
> excavation and enhancement of the remains of a chapel built in 1675,
> Notre-Dame de Bonsecours. I would like to know if any similar
> archaeological site, for the same period, have been discovered, and if the
> remains were interpreted and opened to the public. It could be anywhere in
> Canada, USA, or elsewhere.
>
> The Montreal remains consist of the stone foundations of the building, 15m
> long (45 feet) by 8m large (24 feet), with an apse. Inside the chapel, we
> found the altar foundations and what we interpret as the three steps in
> front of it (according to the catholic rite). The steps look like three
> narrow stone foundations, all the way accross the interior of the church.
> We can also clearly see the wooden floor, completed burned by the fire that
> destructed the chapel in 1754. The site is located under the actual
> Notre-Dame de Bonsecours church, wich was constructed over the previous one
> in 1771.
>
> Because my function in the archaeologists team is to look for public
> interpretation, I am particularly interested in other enhancement projects
> of such remains, which will also be the case in Montreal.
>
> Thanks for any information you can provide.
>
> Louise Pothier, archaeologist
Saint Lukes church, cira 1633
This is the oldest standing church in America.
It can be found in Suffolk, Va.