Saint-Jean-Port-Joli is a village in the Regional County Municipality of L'Islet within the Chaudière-Appalaches region of

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the 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 one of the thirtee ...

, Canada. It is located on the south shore of the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connectin ...

and is the county seat. The village is located off the

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway (French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the Atlantic Ocean on ...

, Autoroute 20. Route 132 passes through the town. It is known for its craftspeople and artists, especially in the fields of

wood carving Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...

and

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

. There are also several well-reputed restaurants.

History

The village takes its name from the

seigneury ''Seigneur'' is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. A seigneur refers to the person or collective who owned a ''seigneurie'' (o ...

of Port-Joly, which was established in 1677. The Parish of St-Jean-Port-Joli was canonically established in 1721. The church, on which construction began in 1779, has unique architecture and houses many sculptures. The municipality was created in 1845 and became part of L'Islet County (a predecessor to the RCM of L'Islet) in 1847. In 1855, it became a parish municipality, and in 1857 it was split into the municipalities of St-Jean-Port-Joli and Saint-Aubert. Like most other villages that lie in the

Côte-du-Sud Côte-du-Sud is a provincial electoral district in the Bas-Saint-Laurent and Chaudière-Appalaches regions of Quebec, Canada, which elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. It includes the entire territory of the following regional co ...

region between

Rivière-Ouelle Rivière-Ouelle () is a town located in the Kamouraska Regional County Municipality within the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec. It is located on the Saint Lawrence River; the Ouelle River flows through the town. It was part of the seignory of ...

and

Beaumont Beaumont may refer to: Places Canada * Beaumont, Alberta * Beaumont, Quebec England * Beaumont, Cumbria * Beaumont, Essex ** Beaumont Cut, a canal closed in the 1930s * Beaumont Street, Oxford France (communes) * Beaumont, Ardèche * ...

, most of its houses were burned down in September 1759. Under the orders of British general

James Wolfe James Wolfe (2 January 1727 – 13 September 1759) was a British Army officer known for his training reforms and, as a major general, remembered chiefly for his victory in 1759 over the French at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec. ...

, the Fraser Highlanders regiment attacked the area during the

Conquest of 1760 Conquest is the act of military subjugation of an enemy by force of arms. Military history provides many examples of conquest: the Roman conquest of Britain, the Mauryan conquest of Afghanistan and of vast areas of the Indian subcontinent, t ...

during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

. The tradition of wood carving began in the early 20th century with the Bourgault brothers, Médard, Jean-Julien and

André André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries. It is a variation ...

Tourist attractions

Despite its small population, the village is a relatively active tourist stop in the region, primarily due to the abundance of artesian wood carvers and cultural events. The village also includes a marina with access to the Saint Lawrence River at the site of the old wharf. St-Jean-Port-Joli was awarded with the title of cultural capital of Canada in 2005.

Biennial sculpture festival

Festival of sailors' songs

This festival highlights many aspects of the village's maritime heritage, legends, and songs. Also included in the weekend-long event is a dinner, workshops, literary contest, sailboat race, market, films, and expositions.

The autumn violins

This is an annual festival of music that has taken place since 1998. Every year in the month of September, fiddlers gather and play music from a wide variety of genres.

The winter festival

In the month of February, the Trois-Bérets park invites ice sculptors from around the world to display their talent. Additionally, the festival contains activities for the family in the daytime, such as helicopter rides, and concerts at night.

References

External links

Saint-Jean-Port-Joli website
{{authority control Municipalities in Quebec Populated places established in 1721 Incorporated places in Chaudière-Appalaches 1721 establishments in the French colonial empire