Jacques Cartier's Cross

Author:
Gaspé Tourism Office and Convention Board

Although Jacques Cartier has planted five crosses during his travels from 1534 and 1535-36, only one, planted in Gaspé in July 1534, marks his official taking possession of the new territory on behalf of the king of France, Francis I. On August 25, 1934, during the 400th anniversary celebrations of the arrival of Cartier in Gaspé, the Historic Sites and Monuments of Canada unveiled a cross in Gaspé made of granite measuring 10 meters high and weighing 29 tons. The cross, carved from a single block and from a stone quarry near Quebec City, was brought by boat to Gaspé and is located on rue de la Cathédrale in downtown Gaspé.