Nearly 3,000 hours of restoration work and a lifting operation unprecedented in the history of the Musée de la Civilization de Québec will have been required for a vintage hearse that will be last seen at the state funeral of former Prime Minister of Canada Louis St. Laurent in 1973 its place in the future permanent exhibition on Quebec.
The trickiest mission was accomplished on Monday morning, when a forklift specially modified for access to the museum building hoisted the 3,000-pound wooden and cast-iron cart onto the museum’s footbridge on the first floor of the museum.
PHOTO AGENCY QMI, RENÉ BAILLARGEON
In total, this hub took six months to plan, which took a total of 22 minutes.
It was impossible to use the museum elevator to take the vehicle to the top like the other collectibles.
PHOTO AGENCY QMI, RENÉ BAILLARGEON
Everyone was relieved when the ceremonial hearse was finally safely lowered onto the bridge. There was even applause.
“We all had chills this morning,” admitted Steve Quenneville, QSL Company’s vice president, Quebec West and Center, who was responsible for performing this meticulous lift.
PHOTO AGENCY QMI, RENÉ BAILLARGEON
more work
The work is not finished. Before the opening of the exhibition in spring 2024, a thousand hours of restoration work are planned, in which the public will be able to participate, to restore the hearse of the Maison Lépine to its former glory.
Photo Cedric Belanger
The Museum’s President, Stéphan La Roche, congratulates QSL Operations Manager Steve Quenneville on the completion of the delicate operation.
According to the President and CEO of the Musée de la Civilization, Stéphan La Roche, it was “in a very poor condition” when the museum took possession of it.
“It was stored in a barn for a few years. So 1825 hours of stabilization work have already been done. Now we have to reassemble the wheels, the curtains, the lanterns, the cross,” he explains.
PHOTO AGENCY QMI, RENÉ BAILLARGEON
Archaeological Remains
The hearse is not the only imposing object that had to be lifted up. Two 6 and 7 meter long wood hearths discovered under the Sainte-Ursule road during archaeological excavations in 2018 were also lifted by QSL workers.
PHOTO AGENCY QMI, RENÉ BAILLARGEON
The nature of these remains is disputed. The archaeologists who exhumed them are convinced that they are the foundations of the Beaucours palisade. Experts from the University of Laval reject this hypothesis.
In the Musée de la Civilization we prefer not to take a stand.
PHOTO AGENCY QMI, RENÉ BAILLARGEON
“Whether it’s the Beaucours Palisade or a pipeline, we want to use this object to talk about the importance of historical and archaeological research,” says Stéphan La Roche.
PHOTO AGENCY QMI, RENÉ BAILLARGEON
PHOTO AGENCY QMI, RENÉ BAILLARGEON
PHOTO AGENCY QMI, RENÉ BAILLARGEON
PHOTO AGENCY QMI, RENÉ BAILLARGEON
The ceremonial hearse in brief
- Designed in 1900 by Adelard Lépine and built in 1901 thanks to the joint work of a coachbuilder, a wheelwright, a draftsman, a gilder, a goldsmith and a sculptor. It is 6.09 m long, 2.38 m wide and 4.26 m high including the cross.
- It was regularly used at funerals of public, political, and religious figures until 1955. The last time it was used was at the funeral of Louis St-Laurent on August 8, 1973 in Quebec.
- From July 3rd to 28th, museum visitors can observe the final restoration work before the hearse is placed in the exhibition hall.
Source: Museum of Civilization of Quebec