Pierrefonds () is a former city in southwestern

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada. It is located along the

Rivière des Prairies The Rivière des Prairies (; ), called the Back River in English, is a delta channel of the Ottawa River in southwestern Quebec, Canada. The Kanien'kehá:ka called it ''Skowanoti'', meaning "River behind the island". The river separates the citi ...

on the western shore of the southern part of the

Island of Montreal The Island of Montreal (, ) is an island in southwestern Quebec, Canada, which is the site of a number of municipalities, including most of the city of Montreal, and is the most populous island in Canada. It is the main island of the Hochelag ...

(part of what is colloquially called the

West Island The West Island (, ) is the unofficial name given to the city, towns and boroughs at the western end of the Island of Montreal, in Quebec, Canada. It is generally considered to consist of the Lakeshore municipalities of Lachine (specific ...

). It was merged into

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

on January 1, 2002, and is today part of the borough of

Pierrefonds-Roxboro Pierrefonds-Roxboro () is a borough of the city of Montreal. It was created January 1, 2006, following the demerger of parts of the city. Geography It is composed of the former municipalities of Pierrefonds and Roxboro, spanning the northern ...

History

Its origin dates back to the eighteenth century, and is intimately linked to that of Sainte-Geneviève, which was composed at the time of Pierrefonds, L'Île-Bizard, Sainte-Geneviève, Roxboro and

Dollard-des-Ormeaux Dollard-des-Ormeaux (; commonly referred to as D.D.O. or simply Dollard) is a city and a predominantly English-speaking suburb of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is the most populous suburb on the Island of Montreal. The town was na ...

. In 1904, following several previous divisions, the Town of Sainte-Geneviève was split into two new villages: Sainte-Geneviève and Sainte-Geneviève de Pierrefonds. This was the first appearance of the name Pierrefonds. At the heart of the conflict leading to the separation was the notary and local member of the Legislative Assembly Joseph-Adolphe Chauret, who, in 1902, had a "seigniorial" residence built for himself reminiscent of the community of Pierrefonds in France’s Department of

Oise Oise ( ; ; ) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise. Inhabitants of the department are called ''Oisiens'' () or ''Isariens'', after the Latin name for the river, Isara. It had a population of 829,419 in 2019.< ...

. He named his thatched home "Château Pierrefonds", apparently providing the name for the future city. In 1935 the two villages of Sainte-Geneviève and Sainte-Geneviève de Pierrefonds merged once again into a single village called Sainte-Geneviève. The name Pierrefonds disappeared, resurfacing on December 18, 1958, when the rest of the territory of the old parish became the City of Pierrefonds.

Dissolution

On 2002-01-01, as part of a province-wide municipal reorganization, Pierrefonds was joined with Senneville and they became a borough of the city of

named Pierrefonds-Senneville. In the demerger referendums of 2004, Senneville demerged from Montreal but Pierrefonds did not. On 2006-01-01, Pierrefonds merged with the former city of Roxboro to form the Montreal borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro.

Origin of the name Pierrefonds

One of the leading figures who brought about the 1904 split was a famous (or infamous), fiery notary named Joseph-Adolphe Chauret. Always in the limelight, this colourful fellow was praised by some and criticized by others. His reputation remains controversial to this day, mostly because of his stormy and ostentatious lifestyle. Inspired by an engraving of the feudal Castle of Pierrefonds in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, in 1902 Chauret built a turreted, gabled residence with the inscription

Château de Pierrefonds The Château de Pierrefonds () is a castle situated in the commune of Pierrefonds in the Oise department in the Hauts-de-France region, Northern France. It is located on the southeast edge of the forest of Compiègne, northeast of Paris, betw ...

on two of its socles. The building only somewhat resembled the much heralded fortress Chauret finally visited in 1911 when he journeyed in Europe. At a time when few people travelled abroad, his trip aroused considerable curiosity among local residents – so much so that crowds greeted him upon his return to Canada. The name Pierrefonds therefore can be traced to Chauret’s residence. In 1987, Chauret's property was converted into a residence for the elderly named "Château Pierrefonds".

Demographics

Pre-amalgamation demographics,

Canada 2001 Census The 2001 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 15, 2001. On that day, Statistics Canada attempted to count every person in Canada. The total population count of Canada was 30,007,094. This w ...

. *Total Population - 54,310 *Visible minority population - 13,995 *Male - 27,285 *Female - 25,020 *Land area - *Population density per km² - Note: last census figures before annexation by Montreal.

Notable people

Paul Brousseau Paul M. Brousseau (born September 18, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He played for the Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Florida Panthers in the NHL. Playing career Brousseau was selected in the second r ...

- ice hockey player, born in Pierrefonds * William Carrier - ice hockey player, grew up in Pierrefonds *

Mylène Farmer Mylène Jeanne Gautier (; born 12 September 1961), known professionally as Mylène Farmer (), is a French singer and songwriter. Having sold more than 30 million records worldwide, she is among the most successful recording artists of all time ...

- singer and lyricist, born and grew up in Pierrefonds * Kathleen Fraser - kayaker, born in PierrefondsKC Fraser
Canadian Olympic Committee * Alexander Julien - musician, member of Vision Eternel, grew up in Pierrefonds * Normand Lacombe - ice hockey player, born in Pierrefonds *

Marc Lépine Marc Lépine (; born Gamil Rodrigue Liass Gharbi; October 26, 1964 – December 6, 1989) was a Canadian mass murderer. On December 6, 1989, he murdered fourteen women and wounded another ten women and four menNote: Many sources state thirt ...

- mass murderer, grew up in Pierrefonds * Justin McInnis - football player, grew up in Pierrefonds * Harley Morenstein - internet personality, resident of Pierrefonds * Adam Kelly Morton - actor, writer and producer, grew up in Pierrefonds * Rene Paredes - football player, grew up in Pierrefonds * Geneviève Robic-Brunet - cyclist, lived in Pierrefonds * Peter Worrell - ice hockey player, grew up in Pierrefonds

References

Sources

* {{Authority control Populated places disestablished in 2002 Neighbourhoods in Montreal Former municipalities in Quebec Former cities in Quebec Pierrefonds-Roxboro West Island 2002 disestablishments in Quebec