Saint-Philippe () is a city located in
Roussillon Regional County Municipality in the
Montérégie region of
Quebec,
Canada. It was established on July 1, 1855. The population as of the
Canada 2021 Census
The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...
was 7,597.
It's the birthplace of
Pierre-Adolphe Pinsonnault, first
Roman Catholic bishop of
London.
History

The City of Saint-Philippe, officially constituted as a city in 2016, has origins that date back to the 17th century.
Originally, Saint-Philippe was part of the territory of the Seigneurie de La Prairie-de-la-Magdeleine, which covered the current territory of the municipalities of
La Prairie,
Brossard,
Candiac,
Sainte-Catherine and Saint -Philippe, as well as part of the territory of the municipalities of
Saint-Lambert,
Delson,
Saint-Constant,
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu () is a city in eastern Montérégie in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec, about southeast of Montreal. It is situated on the west bank of the Richelieu River at the northernmost naviga ...
and
Saint-Jacques-le-Mineur. In 1647, the seigneury of La Prairie-de-la-Madeleine was granted by Jean de Lauzon to Abbé Jean de Laferté, a Jesuit and parish priest of La Madeleine in Paris. It was in 1667 that the first families settled.
In 1744, the first parish of Saint-Philippe, the Fabrique de la côte Saint-Philippe, was founded. It is following the cessation of eight arpents of land, in the Saint-Philippe coast of the Lordship of La Prairie-de-la-Magdeleine, by Sieur Louis Proveau and his wife Marianne Girou, and Dame Marie-Angélique Maheu, widow of the late Sieur Pierre François Girou, who allowed the construction of the first church. This was blessed in 1751, under the title of Saint-Jean-François-Régis, the patron saint of the Jesuits in the province of France. The second church of Saint-Philippe, the first built of stone, was blessed in 1782. This will contribute to the acceleration of the settlement of the small community. The second church was in place until the partial fire of January 1843 and the blessing of the rebuilt church took place at the end of the same year. Quickly becoming too small, a third church was built and blessed at the end of 1876. The new adjacent presbytery, which still exists today, was blessed in 1885.
On June 23, 1972, the
neo-Gothic style church burned down. It was an extremely rare example of this architectural type. The inauguration of the new church, in 1973, of more modern architecture, contrasts with the old one.
The arrival of the 19th century brought its share of changes for Saint-Philippe. The successive legislative changes in Lower Canada have an impact on the status of the municipality, and this, on several occasions. The Municipality of the Parish of Saint-Philippe was created in 1845, under the leadership of Mr. Amable Coupal, the first mayor of Saint-Philippe.
Two years later, in 1847, following the adoption of the "Act to make better provisions for the establishment of municipal authorities in Lower Canada", the Municipality of the Parish of Saint-Philippe was abolished, thus becoming part of the county of
Huntingdon.

It was not until 1855, following the adoption of the "Lower Canada Municipalities and Roads Act" that the municipality of the Parish of Saint-Philippe regained its name and status. It is this law that established the foundations of the municipal system in force today in Quebec. The first mayor of Saint-Philippe under this new regime was Mr. Joseph Normandin, who was also the son-in-law of Amable Coupal.
In 1841, by decree of canonical erection, the parish of Saint-Philippe is recognized on the religious level by specifying its boundaries. However, two other municipalities were created from the territory of Saint-Philippe, namely the municipality of
Saint-Mathieu in 1917 and the City of
Candiac in 1957.
The arrival of a major road infrastructure,
Highway 15, in 1966 and a first section of
Highway 30, comes to structure and define the space of the municipality.
On October 22, 2016, the Municipality, following a request to the
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, changed its legislative regime and became subject to the Cities and Towns Act (CQLR, chapter C-19 ). At the same time, the Minister approves the change of name of the Municipality of Saint-Philippe to that of City of Saint-Philippe.
Demographics
In the
2021 Census of Population
The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...
conducted by
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...
, Saint-Philippe 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.
Education
Centre de services scolaire des Grandes-Seigneuries The Centre de services scolaire des Grandes-Seigneuries is a francophone school service centre in the Canadian province of Quebec. It comprises several primary schools and high schools across municipalities in the Vallée-du-Haut-Saint-Laurent ( ...
is the French school board.
* École secondaire Fernand-Seguin in
Candiac
* École primaire des Moussaillons-et-de-la-Traversée (Saint-Philippe)
** pavillon de la Traversée
** pavillon des Moussaillons
Riverside School Board serves as the English school board.
* St. Lawrence Elementary School in
Candiac
*
Heritage Regional High School in
Longueuil
Transportation
The
CIT Le Richelain provides commuter and local bus services.
Attractions
The Élodie-P.-Babin Complex is home to the Recreation, Culture and Community Life Department, the "Le Vaisseau d'Or" library, the Café Liberté 50 and Maison des jeunes organizations. It also hosts various recognized organizations for holding their regular activities.
See also
*
List of cities and towns in Quebec
References
{{Authority control
Populated places established in 1855
Cities and towns in Quebec
Incorporated places in Roussillon Regional County Municipality
Greater Montreal
1855 establishments in Canada
Canada geography articles needing translation from French Wikipedia