Arichat, Nova Scotia

Arichat is an unincorporated place in the Municipality of the County of Richmond, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the main village on Isle Madame on the southeastern tip of Cape Breton Island.

Arichat
Unincorporated place
Arichat is located in Nova Scotia
Arichat
Arichat
Coordinates: 45°30′40.17″N 61°0′46.5″W
Country Canada
Province Nova Scotia
Census divisionRichmond County
Established1785
Time zoneUTC-4 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (AST)
Postal code span
B0E
Area code902

Toponym

The name derives from a Mi'kmaq word meaning camping ground, or worn rocks.[1]

History

Arichat has a deep and protected natural harbour which made it an important fishing and shipbuilding centre in the 1800s.[2]

Jerseyman Island, which protects the harbour, was visited by Europeans fishermen as early as the 1500s.[3]

The village was sacked by John Paul Jones during the American Revolutionary War, after which two cannons were installed above the village.

The LeNoir Forge was an important boat building site and is now a museum.[4]

The first classes of St. Francis Xavier University began at Arichat in 1853,[5] later moving to Antigonish.

The Catholic Cathedral of Notre Dame de l'Assomption was constructed in 1835, having since been rebuilt.[6] It is the oldest surviving Roman Catholic Church in Nova Scotia.[7]

St. John's Anglican Church was built in 1828, destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1895.[8] Considered to be the second oldest Anglican congregation in Cape Breton, the Church is noted for its amazing acoustic properties, a signature of its architect.[9]

Lighthouses were built in the 1850s, since replaced with replicas in 2017-2018.

In 1970, SS Arrow struck Cerberus Rock, releasing over 10,000 tons of oil, devastating the fishing industry. It is now a popular dive site.[10]

  • Arichat seen from Cannon Look-Off.
    Arichat seen from Cannon Look-Off.
  • Lighthouse of Marche Point, standing at the edge of Cap Auguet
    Lighthouse of Marche Point, standing at the edge of Cap Auguet
  • St John's Anglican Church, the second building, completed in 1895 and designed by William Harris.
    St John's Anglican Church, the second building, completed in 1895 and designed by William Harris.
  • Notre Dame de L'Assumption
    Notre Dame de L'Assumption

References
  1. "Place-Names and Places of Nova Scotia". Nova Scotia Archives. 20 April 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  2. "Arichat". Fodor's. 1 April 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  3. "Jerseyman Island". www.jerseymanisland.ca. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  4. "LeNoir Forge Museum". Tourism Nova Scotia. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  5. Cameron, James D (1996). For the People: A History of St. Francis Xavier University. McGill-Queen's University PRess. pp. 16. ISBN 0-7735-1385-X.
  6. "Grow Isle Madame". www.growislemadame.com. Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  7. "HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca". www.historicplaces.ca. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  8. "Grow Isle Madame". www.growislemadame.com. Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  9. Ayerd, Tom (18 June 2014). "Church closure blindsided members". Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  10. Atlantic, Maritime Museum of the (30 June 2005). "On the Rocks: Shipwrecks of Nova Scotia - Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Halifax, Nova Scotia". novascotia.ca. Retrieved 26 October 2016.

45°30′40.17″N 61°0′46.5″W

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