Saint-Hyacinthe (; French: ) is a city in southwestern

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

east of

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

on the

Yamaska River The Yamaska River is a river in southern Quebec, Canada. Sourcing water within the Eastern Townships, it ends its journey in Lake Saint-Pierre where it is a tributary to the Saint Lawrence River; altogether it is long. Crossing nearly twenty ...

. The population as of the 2021 Canadian census was 57,239. The city is located in

Les Maskoutains Regional County Municipality Les Maskoutains is a regional county municipality in the Montérégie region in southwestern Quebec, Canada. Its seat is in Saint-Hyacinthe. The name comes from Algonquin word ''maskutew'' meaning "bear plain" in plular. Subdivisions There are ...

of the

Montérégie Montérégie () is an administrative region in the southwest part of Quebec. It includes the cities of Boucherville, Brossard, Châteauguay, Longueuil, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and Vaudreuil-Dorion. ...

region, and is traversed by the Yamaska River.

Quebec Autoroute 20 Autoroute 20 is a Quebec Autoroute, following the Saint Lawrence River through one of the more densely populated parts of Canada, with its central section forming the main route of the Trans-Canada Highway from the A-25 interchange to the A-8 ...

runs perpendicular to the river. Saint-Hyacinthe is the seat of the

judicial district A judicial district or legal district denotes the territorial area for which a legal court (usually a district court) has jurisdiction. By region Europe Austria In texts concerning Austria, "judicial district" (german: Gerichtsbezirk) refers ...

of the same name.

History

Jacques-Hyacinthe Simon dit Delorme, owner of the

seigneurie In English law, seignory or seigniory, spelled ''signiory'' in Early Modern English (; french: seigneur, lit=lord; la, senior, lit=elder), is the lordship (authority) remaining to a grantor after the grant of an estate in fee simple. ''Nulle terre ...

, started its settlement in 1757. He gave his

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholic Church, Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocacy, advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, ...

name (Saint

Hyacinth the Confessor Hyacinth ( pl, Święty Jacek or ''Jacek Odrowąż''; ca. 1185 – 15 August 1257) was a Polish Dominican Order, Dominican priest and missionary who worked to reform women's monasteries in his native Poland. He was a Doctor of Sacred Studies ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

) to the seigneurie, which was made a city in 1850.

St. Hyacinth's Cathedral The Cathedral of St. Hyacinth the Confessor (french: Cathédrale Saint-Hyacinthe-le-Confesseur), located in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Hyacinthe. The cathedral church, named in honour of St. H ...

is the seat of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Hyacinthe The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Hyacinthe ( la, Dioecesis Sancti Hyacinthi) (erected 8 June 1852) is a Latin rite suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Sherbrooke in Quebec, (predominantly francophone) Canada. Its cathedral episcopal s ...

. It was erected in 1852. Portedesanciensmaires

2001 merger

As part of the

2000–06 municipal reorganization in Quebec The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen bu ...

, on 27 December 2001, the city of Saint-Hyacinthe amalgamated with five neighbouring towns (listed here with their populations as of 2001): * Saint-Hyacinthe (39,739) * Sainte-Rosalie (4,170) * Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin (4,000) * Sainte-Rosalie Parish (1,476) * Saint-Hyacinthe-le-Confesseur, Quebec (1,151) * Notre-Dame-de-Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec (858)

Demographics

In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Saint-Hyacinthe had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Economy

Agriculture and its related derivates are at the heart of Saint-Hyacinthe's economic infrastructure. The city has been nicknamed the "Agricultural technopolis of Canada", because it is home to several research institutions in the field such as the ''centre de recherche sur les aliments'', the ''Institut de recherche et développement en agro-environnement'', the ''

Institut de technologie agroalimentaire The ''Institut de technologie agroalimentaire'' (ITA) is a collegial institute specialized in agricultural technology and food production in Quebec, Canada. The institution is composed of two campuses, one in Saint-Hyacinthe and the other in La ...

'' and the head office of the

Artificial Insemination Center of Quebec The Artificial Insemination Centre of Quebec (French: Centre d'Insémination artificielle du Québec) (CIAQ) is a limited partnership society founded in 1948 located in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada with the mission of improving through artific ...

. Saint-Hyacinthe hosts numerous agriculture related events such as

fairs A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

, exposition and congresses and acts a hub in the field. The

Agricultural Hall of Fame of Quebec The Agricultural Hall of Fame of Quebec (French: Temple de la renommée de l'agriculture du Québec) honours and celebrates those who have made a lasting contribution to the advancement in the field of agriculture in the province of Quebec, Canad ...

decided to move there from

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

to give itself more visibility in the community. In addition, it is also home to

Orgues Létourneau Orgues Létourneau Limitée of Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec is a prominent Canadian builder and restorer of pipe organs. The company was founded in 1979 by Fernand Létourneau, who served as president, owner and artistic director of the firm until 2019. ...

and

Casavant Frères Casavant Frères is a Canadian organ building company in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, which has been building pipe organs since 1879. As of 2014, the company has produced more than 3,900 organs. Company history Brothers Joseph-Claver (1855–1933 ...

, builders of

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''rank ...

s, and

Intact Financial Intact Financial Corporation is a Canadian multinational property and casualty insurance company. Originally established in 1809 as the Halifax Fire Insurance Association, it was later acquired by Nationale-Nederlanden and from 1993 to 2009 wa ...

, formerly known as ING Canada.

Transport

* Local bus service operated by ''

Transport Scolaire Sogesco Sogesco is the largest private transportation company in Quebec, Canada. Transport Scolaire Sogesco Inc., founded in 1989, specializes in school transportation, but also provides paratransit and urban transit services. It employs more than 1000 ...

''Ville Saint-Hyacinthe transport en commun
*

Paratransit Paratransit is the term used in North America, also known by other names such as community transport ( UK) for transportation services that supplement fixed-route mass transit by providing individualized rides without fixed routes or timetables. ...

service by MRC Les Maskoutains * Train bus service to

Mont-Saint-Hilaire station Mont-Saint-Hilaire station is a commuter rail station operated by Exo in Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada. It is the eastern terminus of the Mont-Saint-Hilaire line Mont-Saint-Hilaire (also designated exo3) is a commuter railway line in G ...

, connecting by Exo on the

Mont-Saint-Hilaire line Mont-Saint-Hilaire (also designated exo3) is a commuter railway line in Greater Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is operated by Exo, the operator of public transport services across this region. The Mont-Saint-Hilaire line was operated by the Can ...

Central Station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

Downtown Montreal Downtown Montreal (French language, French: ''Centre-Ville de Montréal'') is the central business district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The district is situated on the southernmost slope of Mount Royal, and occupies the western portion of the ...

Interurban The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 ...

bus service by

Exo de la Vallée du Richelieu sector The de la Vallée du Richelieu sector, is a public transit agency serving eight member municipalities and the Richelieu Valley RCM in Quebec, Canada. These towns, located east Montreal along Quebec Route 116, receive both local service and comm ...

Via Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via, is a Canadian Crown corporation that is mandated to operate intercity passenger rail service in Canada. It receives an annual subsidy from Transport Canada to offset the cost of operati ...

has several trains that stop at the

Saint-Hyacinthe station The Saint-Hyacinthe station is a Via Rail station in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada. The station is staffed and is wheelchair-accessible. Several corridor Montreal-Quebec City trains and the long-distance ''Ocean'' stop here; the Montreal–Gasp ...

* The private

Saint-Hyacinthe Aerodrome Saint-Hyacinthe Aerodrome is located west of Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada. The Saint-Hyacinthe Aerodrome is an example of general aviation diversity driven by private management. Almost all airplanes on floats land on its man-made water b ...

is located west of the city.

Education

The

South Shore Protestant Regional School Board The South Shore Protestant Regional School Board (SSPRSB) was a Protestant Christian school district in Greater Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It served the South Shore (Montreal), South Shore region and it was headquartered in St. Lambert. The distric ...

previously served the municipality. In association with the

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte- ...

, Saint-Hyacinthe is home to the only

veterinary medicine Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...

faculty of Quebec and the only such school in North America where teaching is provided in French.

Sports

From 1989 to 1996 the city had a team in the

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (french: Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec; abbreviated ''QMJHL'' in English, ''LHJMQ'' in French) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The l ...

known as the

Saint-Hyacinthe Laser The Saint-Hyacinthe Laser were a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 1989 to 1996. They played their home games at Stade L.P. Gaucher in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada. History The Saint-Hyacinthe Laser were bor ...

. From 2001 to 2009 the city was represented in the ''

Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey The Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (LNAH, ''"North American Hockey League"'') is a low-level professional ice hockey league based in the Canadian province of Quebec. Teams in the LNAH compete for the Vertdure Cup. History The league was fou ...

'' (known as the Quebec Semi-Pro Hockey League (QSPHL) until 2004) by the Saint-Hyacinthe Cousin (200105), Saint-Hyacinthe Cristal (200506), Saint-Hyacinthe Top Design (200608) and Saint-Hyacinthe Chiefs (200809). The city's main hockey arena is the historic Stade L.P. Gaucher, which was built in 1937.

Notable people

The following individuals were born or grew up in the region of Saint-Hyacinthe: *

Paul Arcand Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chr ...

, host and journalist * François Avard, author and screenwriter known for the television series ''

Les Bougon ''Les Bougon - c'est aussi ça la vie!'' is a Quebec sitcom broadcast by Radio-Canada from 2004 to 2006, written by François Avard and Jean-François Mercier and produced by Fabienne Larouche. The show won three Gémeaux in 2004. The show's fi ...

'' *

Télesphore-Damien Bouchard Télesphore-Damien Bouchard (December 20, 1881 – November 13, 1962) was a politician in Quebec, Canada. Born in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, he was the mayor of the municipality from 1917 to 1930 and from 1932 to 1944 and president of the Feder ...

(1881–1962), Quebec politician * Robert Bédard, professional tennis player, President of Tennis Québec, Vice-President of

Tennis Canada Tennis Canada is the national governing body of tennis within Canada. It works together with the provincial associations to organize tournaments and rules. They also oversee the Canada Davis Cup team and the Canada Fed Cup team. Tennis Canada ...

, teacher (

Bishop's College School Bishop's College School or BCS is an English-language non-profit independent school, independent boarding school, boarding College-preparatory school, prep school in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada for students in Grades 7 to 12.Thomson, Ashley; Laf ...

), teacher and headmaster (

St. Andrew's College, Aurora St. Andrew's College (SAC) is an independent boarding and day school founded in 1899 and located in Aurora, Ontario, Canada. It is a university-preparatory school for boys in grades 5 to 12, with a focus on academic achievement, athletics, and ...

) *

Michel-Esdras Bernier Michel Esdras Bernier, (September 28, 1841 – July 27, 1921) was a Canadian politician. Born in St-Hyacinthe, Canada East, he was a notary and businessman before being elected to the House of Commons of Canada for the riding of St. Hyac ...

, Former

Minister of Inland Revenue The Minister of Inland Revenue is the political office of Minister for the department of Inland Revenue which is responsible for the collection of taxes. "Minister of Inland Revenue" is a title held by politicians in different countries. the off ...

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

(Ret.)

Jean Berthiaume Joseph André Horace Jean Berthiaume, OBE, CD (November 27, 1915 – January 26, 2003) was a Canadian Army officer who served with the Régiment de St-Hyacinthe, the Royal Canadian Infantry Corps and the Royal 22e Régiment. Early educatio ...

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, CD, infantry officer of the Régiment de St-Hyacinthe and of the Royal 22^e Régiment - 1915-2003 *

Martin Brodeur Martin Pierre Brodeur (; born May 6, 1972) is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey goaltender and current team executive. He played 22 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), 21 of them for the New Jersey Devils, with wh ...

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

(NHL) hockey player,

goalie In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting ...

for the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The club was founded as the Kans ...

Geneviève Brouillette Geneviève Brouillette (born August 23, 1969 in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec) is a French Canadian television and film actress from Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec. Since 1998 she has gradually appeared in film and she appeared in ''A Sunday in Kigali'' i ...

, actress *

Anthony Chabot Anthony Chabot (August 13, 1813 – January 6, 1888) was a nineteenth-century businessman and entrepreneur, notable for his contribution to developing hydraulic mining and for building water systems, especially in the Bay Area, so much that he ...

(1813-1888), businessman and entrepreneur know for his development of water systems and hydraulic mines, especially in

Northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...

. *

Gérard Côté Gérard Côté, (July 26, 1913 – 12 June 1993) was a Canadian marathon runner and a four-time winner of the Boston Marathon. Born in Saint-Barnabé-Sud, Quebec, Côté was training to be a boxer when he switched to running marathons. He co ...

marathon runner The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

Sébastien Demers Sébastien Demers (born 24 December 1979) is a Canadian former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2013 and challenged for the IBF middleweight title in 2007. Professional career Demers is a former Canadian and IBF International mi ...

, boxer * Henriette Dessaulles (1860–1946), journalist (aka Fadette) *

Gérald Fauteux Joseph Honoré Gérald Fauteux (October 22, 1900 – September 14, 1980) was the 13th Chief Justice of Canada from 1970 to 1973. Born in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, the son of Homère Fauteux and Héva Mercier, he studied at the Université de ...

(1900–1980), former Chief Justice of the

Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the highest court in the judicial system of Canada. It comprises nine justices, whose decisions are the ultimate application of Canadian law, and grants permission to ...

Willie Lamothe Willie Lamothe was the stage name of Joachim Guillaume Lamothe (January 27, 1920 – October 19, 1992), a Canadian musician and actor from Quebec.

(1920–1992), singer and actor * Sir

François Langelier Sir François Langelier, (24 December 1838 – 8 February 1915) was a Canadian lawyer, professor, journalist, politician, the tenth Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, and author. He was born in Sainte-Rosalie, Lower Canada (now Quebec) and di ...

(1838–1915), politician *

Ricardo Larrivée Ricardo (born Ricardo Larrivée on March 12, 1967) is a television host and a food writer who lives in Quebec, Canada. He hosts the television show ''Ricardo'' on Radio-Canada and previously hosted ''Ricardo and Friends'' on Food Network Cana ...

, cooking show host *

Pierre Lassonde Pierre Lassonde (born 1947) is a Canadian businessman and philanthropist. Early life Pierre Lassonde was born in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, the third of four children. He studied at the Séminaire de Saint-Hyacinthe and graduated in 1967 wit ...

, businessperson and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

Yvan Loubier Yvan Loubier (born April 10, 1959 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian politician and one of the founders of the Bloc Québécois. He was a Bloc Québécois member of the House of Commons of Canada representing the district of Saint-Hyacinthe—B ...

, politician *

Victor Morin Victor Morin (August 15, 1865 – September 30, 1960) was a Canadian notary, politician, and writer. Born in Saint-Hyacinthe, Canada East, Morin studied at the Université Laval de Montréal. In 1890, he started working as a notary in his unc ...

notary A notary is a person authorised to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems. A notary, while a legal professional, is disti ...

, politician, and writer *

Hyacinthe-Marie Simon, dit Delorme Hyacinthe-Marie Simon dit Delorme (August 15, 1777 – March 13, 1814) was a seigneur and political figure in Lower Canada. He represented Richelieu in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada from 1808 to 1814. His name also appears as Hyaci ...

, (1777–1814) son of Jacques-Hyacinthe Simon dit Delorme, the original owner of the seigneurie *

Mario Pouliot Mario Pouliot (born September 30, 1963) is a Canadian former ice hockey coach and general manager. He began coaching in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) as an assistant coach with the Saint-Hyacinthe Laser. He later coached the Co ...

, former head hockey coach for

LHJMQ

Gallery

File:QC StHyacinthe1 tango7174.jpg,

File:St-Hyacinthe Marché-Centre 2005 cropped.jpg, St. Hyacinthe's public market File:Saint-hyacinthe-dusk.jpg, The

File:Centre-Ville de Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec.jpg, Downtown Saint-Hyacinthe during a blizzard File:Cegep de Saint-Hyacinthe 2006.JPG,

Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe is a CEGEP (College of General and Vocational Education) located at 3000 Boullé Street, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada. More than 4500 students attend the CEGEP to study in one of five pre-university general studies pro ...

File:Château Maska 2007 - Saint-Hyacinthe.jpg, Château Maska File:Siège Social ING (vue arrière) - Saint-Hyacinthe 2007.jpg,

building File:St-Hyacinthe Edifice Journal Le Courrier.JPG, Le Courrier building File:Hotel-de-ville-hiver2008.jpg, City Hall in winter 2008 File:QC StHyacinthe3 tango7174.jpg, Former Post Office (1892), National Historic Site of Canada File:QC StHyacinthe4 tango7174.jpg, Former Customs House (1903) File:Chapelle du Seminaire de Saint-Hyacinthe.jpg, Interior of the Chapel of the Seminaire

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities and towns in Quebec Incorporated places in Les Maskoutains Regional County Municipality