Archaeological Findings: 17th and 18th Century Indian Relics Discovered in a Trench in the Saguenay Region
The small Canadian town of Larouche, located in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, was once slated to become a unique cultural destination, with a village-museum project envisioned by artist Claude Simard in the 2000s. At the heart of the project were the remnants of an Indian religious building, including a 17th or 18th century mosque and Catholic church from Cochin, India.
However, two decades later, these relics remain stored near the Larouche wastewater basin, having never been installed or displayed as intended. The buildings were transported from India to Vancouver, then by rail to Montreal in 2004, and finally to Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, but the project stalled or was abandoned, leading to their storage at an asphalt company.
The exact reasons for the storage appear to be linked to administrative, logistical, or funding issues that prevented the continuation or completion of the village-museum initiative. No detailed official reports explain why the relics ended up at an asphalt company or the precise fate of the project in Larouche.
The latest plan is to install the sculptures along the pedestrian trail of the Aqueduc Lake in Larouche. The sculptures include various Buddhas and crosses of Christ, and the mayor assures that the installation outside would not be problematic.
In addition to the Catholic church and mosque, Simard had planned to transplant a synagogue and a wooden Brahman house. No further updates or new facts regarding the recovery of old houses in the village-museum or the planned transplant of these buildings were mentioned in the current paragraph.
The arrival of these buildings caused a stir in Larouche twenty years ago, but the project has since become known as the village-museum fiasco. The Canada Revenue Agency investigation in 2006 revealed a funding scheme for the project through the sale of overvalued works.
The mayor of Larouche, elected in 2021, has stated that the village-museum fiasco is now over. The mayor does not express any regret about being credulous in the past regarding the project, and clarifies that there is no intention to make money from the installation of the sculptures.
Over four years, the small municipality of Larouche had issued $22 million in receipts, but the fate of these funds remains unclear in relation to the village-museum project. Despite the challenges and setbacks, the sculptures from the Indian buildings are currently stored safely, and plans are being made to make them available to the public.
For those seeking more detailed explanations or updates, specialized heritage or local Canadian cultural sources might need to be consulted, as this specific incident appears to not be widely documented online in the given search context.
In light of the ongoing plan to install the sculptures along the Aqueduc Lake pedestrian trail, one might envision a revitalized French lifestyle in Larouche, blending elements from both home-and-garden and Indian cultural artifacts. Despite the project's complex history marred by administrative issues and a funding scandal, there's a promising French-Indian fusion in the works for Larouche's healthcare and garden spaces.
Now that the sculptures from the Indian buildings are safely stored, future efforts could potentially include transplants of a synagogue and a wooden Brahman house in Larouche, further enhancing the town's lifestyle by reflecting a broader range of global cultures within the village-museum setting.
