It was last Thursday that artisan Giuseppe Benedetto from the Touverre Inc. company in La Baie officially opened his new Auberge Le Saint-Alexis, its bistro as well as the new location of the fine stone cutting economuseum. The presbytery, built in 1879, therefore becomes the heritage symbol of the Grande-Baie sector.
“In 2019, seeing the site of the St-Alexis presbytery left abandoned and the possibility that it would be destroyed motivated me to embark on this project. My desire was to renovate this built heritage and preserve this stone jewel in the founding site of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, which dates back 150 years, to house the fine stone cutting economuseum. It made sense to me,” declares Italian-born Giuseppe Benedetto, who thus becomes the first artist in the region to own two economuseums with Touvrere.
The purchase of the presbytery was followed by several improvements and renovations including the redevelopment of the basement, the solidification of the building, the change of the oil heating system for an electric system, the enlargement of the building to create a 2nd floor, repair the roof and cornices. After five years of work, the establishment was transformed into a hostel with ten rooms, equipped with Murphy beds and a fully furnished loft. In addition to housing a bistro offering meals, the establishment also hosts the fine stone cutting economuseum. The hostel even meets Kéroul standards for accessibility for people with reduced mobility.
Tourist experience
At the fine stone cutting economuseum, it is possible to discover how stones are worked and take part in a polishing demonstration and observe Giuseppe Benedetto when he cuts, polishes and engraves stones. The project is intended to be a learning and discovery activity for visitors, as mentioned by the main interested party.
“We want to welcome people: school groups, tourist groups and cruise passengers. We go around with them, to explain to them what the stones are, the differences between each and what their work is. We do treasure hunts and rallies with the children, they are happy when they come here! », he notes.
However, the projects do not stop there for Mr. Benedetto, who also wants to eventually develop the exterior courtyard of the presbytery.
“The exterior will have the image of the interior. We are going to put stones, sculptures. Maybe we’ll do a sculpture symposium, that would also be a good idea, or a mineral exhibition, conferences. »
The implementation of a geological garden, with a poster describing the properties and history of the stones, is also in the plans. This project was supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Tourisme Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, Investissement Québec and the City of Saguenayin partnership with the ÉCONOMUSÉE network company (SRÉ).
