The
Historical background of the Village des Lilas
Created in
1998, the corporation was the original idea of journalist Denis
Gauthier who wanted to enhance the village, already adorned with
lilacs. In 1997, given the interest shown towards the project
by the town council, a provisional group took on the task of creating
Cap-à-l'Aigle Village des Lilas. A draft development plan
of a site, located at the western entrance of the village, was
submitted to city hall.
Architect
Paul-André d'Entremont submitted a plan for the construction
of the future park, which would consist of trees and flowers,
a stone wall, lighting, and chairs. The park would be the shelter
for the Eagle, the Village des Lilas' guardian.
The non-profit
organization of Cap-à-l'Aigle Village des Lilas was then
created and given the extensive mandate of organizing cultural,
horticultural, communal, hosting, managing and administrative
activities.
The Festival
des Lilas, held in June 1998, lasted for three days and offered
a wide range of activities: shows, painters in water colour, a
fresco, a lecture on horticulture, a country-style dinner, breakfasts,
a mass, the lilac walk, etc…
On March 31,
1998, letters patent legally incorporated the body. The company
being set up, the time had come to consider making a study of
lilacs.
Cap-à-l'Aigle
is one of the most picturesque villages in Quebec and it has managed
to preserve its character and built heritage. Its majestic landscapes
are shaped by the river and the mountains. One comes to know the
village with the seasons and in the spring it changes into bouquets
of lilacs. Saint-Raphaël street shines with flowers and the
fragrances of flowers reveal the hidden gardens. In November 1999,
the multidisciplinary firm Pluram, which conducted the study,
filed the final report on the "Planning and Development Strategy".
While the
Village des Lilas undoubtedly attracts experts, garden clubs,
people interested by horticulture and landscape design, it must
first appeal to the masses. It is therefore vitally important
to offer a high quality tourism product in order to entice potential
visitors.
The impressive collection of Lilacs here in the Jardins du cap ŕ
l’Aigle is due in large part, to the now defunct founder of the
Cap-ŕ-l’Aigle Village des
Lilas corporation, Mr. Denis Gauthier, and a Lilac producer of
German origin, Mr. Konrad Kircher. The two men met in 1999 at the
International
Lilac Society conference. Mr. Kircher was delighted by the
Corporation project to display the abundance of Lilacs that have
been adorning the
village for decades. Having fallen in love with Cap-a-l’Aigle and
all of Charlevoix, the German horticulturist donated to the
Corporation a prestigious collection of 1000 different varieties
of Lilacs. The Jardins du cap ŕ l’Aigle were thus created to house
this important collection. Once
the entire collection has been relocated here in the gardens, the
Jardins du cap ŕ l’Aigle will be home to the largest Lilac
collection in the world.
Mr. Gauthier died shortly after the project began and the
Corporation wanted to honour him by dedicating one of the thematic
gardens in his memory. Mr. Kircher himself came and planted 45
different varieties of Lilacs representing the founders age at the
time of his death. In a later phase, this commemorative garden
will also pay tribute to the founding families of Cap-ŕ-l’Aigle.
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