In almost every municipality of Témiscamingue, you can still find at least one roadside cross today. There are around thirty of them in our region. In addition to those crosses placed on the roadside, others are installed on mountains or in public places like at Fort-Témiscamingue or in private properties’ courtyards. A niche installed on the crossbeam is quite common. Some crosses rest on a pedestal and are surrounded by a white wooden fence.

Each roadside cross holds a purpose: commemorative, foundational, or for public devotion. In the case of Fugèreville, it is a votive cross, testifying to a specific vow made. This type of cross is erected to obtain a favor or, more commonly, to express gratitude for a favor received.

According to an article from March 20, 2020, by Tanya Neveu on Ici Abitibi-Témiscamingue:

In Fugèreville, you can still observe traces of that time due to the presence of a cross. It is known as the Influenza Cross, now called the Commemorative Cross.

Marc Riopel explains that the parish priest, Fugère, made a promise that if no one died of the flu within the limits of the parish during the year, the parishioners would erect a cross on the mountain at the end of the double road, on the way to Latulipe.

The year passed without any reported victims. In the records, it is said that a 16-year-old teenager and a baby died, but outside the village limits. True to their promise, the cross was erected through the hard work of several villagers.

The cross was blessed by the bishop of the Diocese of Haileybury on June 15, 1919. People could then see it from the top of the mountain for about twenty years before it was carried away by a strong wind in November.

In 1987, to commemorate Fugèreville’s 75th anniversary, a group of parishioners decided to rebuild it. Located in the same spot as the previous one, it has the same dimensions, about 10 meters in height. At night, it is illuminated, casting its light towards the village.