Acadian and French-Canadian families began to settle in Saint-Basile on the north side of the St. John River in the 1780s. This was the historic home of the Wəlastəkwewiyik, whose presence survives with the nearby Madawaska Maliseet First Nation. Settlers received grants on both sides of the river from the New Brunswick colonial government; the exact location of the international border would not be agreed upon until 1842.

The Roman Catholic bishop of Quebec established the parish of Saint-Basile in 1792 and authorized the construction of a chapel to serve the predominantly French-heritage population on both sides of the river. Until then, missionary priests had visited the region and celebrated the sacraments in a small log structure. A site on the north side of the river, in what officially became New Brunswick, was selected for the church despite a larger population residing on the south side.

The Catholic church depicted here was one of several that stood on this site. This structure was built in the 1850s; it would be destroyed by fire while Joseph-Paul Lévesque was pastor in 1932. The consecration of the current church occurred in 1934.

J. M. Flewelling printed the card in Britain; it was never sent.