Sainte-Pétronille is a village municipality in the L'Île-d'Orléans Regional County Municipality in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada. It is situated on the south-western tip of Orléans Island, facing Quebec City.

Sainte-Pétronille
Village municipality
Location within L'Île-d'Orléans RCM
Sainte-Pétronille Location in central Quebec
Coordinates: 46°51′N 71°08′W[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Capitale-Nationale
RCM	L'Île-d'Orléans
Constituted	January 1, 1874
Named for	Saint Petronilla[1]
Government [2]
• Mayor	Harold Noël
• Federal riding	Montmorency—Charlevoix —Haute-Côte-Nord
• Prov. riding	Charlevoix–Côte-de-Beaupré
Area [2][3]
• Total	4.30 km2 (1.66 sq mi)
• Land	4.38 km2 (1.69 sq mi)
	There is an apparent contradiction between two authoritative sources
Population  (2016)[3]
• Total	1,033
• Density	235.9/km2 (611/sq mi)
• Pop 2011-2016	0.8%
• Dwellings	495
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	G0A 4C0
Area code(s)	418 and 581
Highways	Route 368
Website	www.ste-petronille.iledorleans.com

Former notable residents include the Boswell family, who owned the Boswell Brewery in Quebec City from 1843 to 1952, and painter Horatio Walker, whose workshop remains.

History

In 1651, Jesuit missionaries came to the island and established a mission for Huron Indians who were displaced by attacking Iroquois. In 1759, General James Wolfe installed his headquarters there to monitor Quebec City and the two river channels of the Saint Lawrence River. After his victory at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, the area became inhabited by well-to-do English colonists who were attracted by its romantic landscapes and its renowned microclimate. Consequently the cottage-style houses and garden landscaping gave the place a decidedly English character.[1][4]

Since the topography was not well-suited for agriculture, the place became a fashionable summer resort by the mid 19th century. Hundreds of daytrippers would travel to Sainte-Pétronille by ferry for a Sunday stroll. In 1868, it became home to North America's first golf course, a three-hole course.[1][4]

The religious parish of Sainte-Pétronille de Beaulieu was formed in 1870, named after Saint Petronilla (a Roman martyr of the first century), and honouring Jacques Gourdeau, sieur de Beaulieu et de la Grossardière, feudal lord of the area in the mid-17th century. The post office opened a year later under the name Beaulieu. In 1874, the Village Municipality of Beaulieu was established by separating from Saint-Pierre, becoming the youngest of the 6 municipalities on Orleans Island.[1]

Since the village itself was almost exclusively called Sainte-Pétronille in common use, the municipality was renamed to its current name in 1980. The post office followed suit in 1991.[1]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Sainte-Pétronille had a population of 1,055 living in 463 of its 509 total private dwellings, a change of 2.1% from its 2016 population of 1,033. With a land area of 4.32 km² (1.67 sq mi), it had a population density of 244.2/km² (632.5/sq mi) in 2021.[6]

Canada Census Mother Tongue - Sainte-Pétronille, Quebec[5]
Census		Total		French				English				French & English				Other
Year		Responses		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %
2011		1,040		1,020	1.5%	98.08%		10	66.7%	0.96%		0	0.0%	0.00%		10	60.0%	0.96%
2006		1,060		1,005	2.4%	94.81%		30	n/a%	2.83%		0	0.0%	0.00%		25	150.0%	2.36%
2001		1,040		1,030	2.4%	99.04%		0	100.0%	0.00%		0	0.0%	0.00%		10	50.0%	0.96%
1996		1,090		1,055	n/a	96.79%		15	n/a	1.38%		0	n/a	0.00%		20	n/a	1.83%

Local government

List of former mayors:

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (January 2020)

• Jacques Grisé (2001–2009)
• Harold Noël (2009–present)

See also

• Chenal de l'Île d'Orléans
• Île d'Orléans
• List of village municipalities in Quebec

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sainte-Pétronille, Quebec.

• Île d'Orléans - Sainte-Pétronille portrait