Notre-Dame-des-Monts

Notre-Dame-des-Monts

Notre-Dame-des-Monts is a municipality in the Capitale-Nationale region, located at 22 km downtown La Malbaie vie Highway 138 and a secondary road.

Surrounded by peaks of the Laurentian Shield, some of which rank among the Shield’s tallest, Notre-Dame-des-Monts offers an unparalleled view across the Charlevoix landscape.

Looking to the North-West, you will notice that the peaks take the shape of a woman lying on her back; she is the famous La Noyée or the Drowned Woman. Her face is discernible, as well as her long mane of hair floating on the water’s surface, a sad reminder of an impossible love affair. On a clear day, the three mountains that form her contour are perceptible from the church square, in the village. Over the years artists, photographers, writers and songwriters have all immortalized the legend of the Drowned Woman, each in their own fashion.

The locals have successfully preserved a rich historical heritage which includes architectural, material and human legacies of which they are proud, and spotlight wonderfully. You can visit the Heritage interpretation centre located in an old cheese factory in the heart of the village, the last remaining cheese-making facilities here. This old cheese factory dates back to 1890, and houses Notre-Dame-des-Monts’ Centre d’interprétation de l’histoire. There you will learn more about the legend of the drowned woman. The Centre leads visitors along a walking tour through downtown Notre-Dame-de-Monts Village and its whereabouts, and to special spots in nature where it is possible to feel the spirit of the surroundings, here in the St. Lawrence Valley, with the Laurentian Shield as a colossal backdrop.

In fact, it is the perfect setting for understanding the Laurentian landscape, and the Charlevoix’s meteoric crater. A unique experience where one can meet up with the past, its events, the scenery, forest, river and mountains.