Saint-Hyacinthe ( , ) is a 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, ...
east of
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 the
Yamaska River. The population as of the
2021 Canadian census
The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canada, 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%, whic ...
was 57,239. The city is located in
Les Maskoutains Regional County Municipality of the
Montérégie region, and is traversed by the Yamaska River.
Quebec Autoroute 20 runs perpendicular to the river. Saint-Hyacinthe is the seat of the
judicial district of the same name.
History
Jacques-Hyacinthe Simon dit Delorme, owner of the
seigneurie, started its settlement in 1757. He gave his
patron saint name (Saint
Hyacinth the Confessor of
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
) to the seigneurie, which was made a city in 1850.
St. Hyacinth's Cathedral is the seat of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Hyacinthe. It was erected in 1852. Bishop Louis-Zéphirin Moreau, beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 10, 1987, was bishop of the diocese from 1875 until his death in 1901.
2001 merger
As part of the
2000–06 municipal reorganization in Quebec, 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
The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canada, 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%, whic ...
conducted by
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), 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 culture. It is headquartered in ...
, 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.
In 2021, 9.8% of Saint-Hyacinthe residents were visible minorities, 1.3% were Indigenous, and the remaining 88.9% were white/European. The largest visible minority groups were Black (4.4%), Latin American (3.1%) and Arab (1.4%).
71.8% of residents were Christian, down from 88.8% in 2011. 63.2% were
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, 5.6% were Christian n.o.s, 1.6% were
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
, and 1.3% were other Christian denominations or Christian-related traditions. Non-religious or secular people were 25.0% of the population, up from 9.9% in 2011. The only named non-Christian religions with adherents in Saint-Hyacinthe were
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
(2.6%) and
Buddhism
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
(0.2%). Other religions and spiritual traditions accounted for just 0.3% of the population.
In 2021, French was the mother tongue of 90.9% of residents. Other common first languages were Spanish (3.1%), Arabic (0.9%) and English (0.9%). 0.7% listed both French and a non-official language as mother tongues, while 0.6% listed both French and English.
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'' and the head office of the
Artificial Insemination Center of Quebec.
Saint-Hyacinthe hosts numerous agriculture related events such as
fair
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. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...
s, exposition and
congresses and acts a hub in the field. The
Agricultural Hall of Fame of Quebec decided to move there from
Quebec City
Quebec City 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 Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
to give itself more visibility in the community.
In addition, it is also home to
Orgues Létourneau and
Casavant Frères, builders of
pipe organs, and
Intact Financial, formerly known as ING Canada.
Transport
* Local bus service operated by ''
Transport Scolaire Sogesco''
[Ville Saint-Hyacinthe transport en commun]
*
Paratransit service by
MRC Les Maskoutains
* Train bus service to
Mont-Saint-Hilaire station, connecting by
Exo commuter rail on the
Mont-Saint-Hilaire line to
Central Station in
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 Canada) is a type of electric railway, with tram-like electric self-propelled railcars which run within and between cities or towns. The term "interurban" is usually used in North America, with other terms u ...
bus service by
Exo de la Vallée du Richelieu sector
*
Via Rail has several trains that stop at the
Saint-Hyacinthe station
* The private
Saint-Hyacinthe Aerodrome is located west of the city.
Arts and culture
The Centre d'exposition Expression is a museum in Saint-Hyacinthe whose mission is to promote and disseminate contemporary and current art. The centre presents exhibitions renowned for their artistic quality. These exhibitions are complemented by an education and mediation service, publications and collections.
Education
The
South Shore Protestant Regional School Board previously served the municipality.
In association with the
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal (; UdeM; ) 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-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce on M ...
, Saint-Hyacinthe is home to the only
veterinary medicine
Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, medical diagnosis, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in non-human animals. The scope of veterinary medicine is wide, covering all a ...
faculty of Quebec and the only such school in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
where teaching is provided in French.
Sports
From 1989 to 1996 the city had a team in the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League known as the
Saint-Hyacinthe Laser. From 2001 to 2009 the city was represented in the ''
Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey'' (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, host and journalist
*
François Avard, author and screenwriter known for the television series ''
Les Bougon''
*
Télesphore-Damien Bouchard (1881–1962), Quebec politician
*
Robert Bédard, professional tennis player, President of Tennis Québec, Vice-President of
Tennis Canada, teacher (
Bishop's College School), teacher and headmaster (
St. Andrew's College, Aurora)
*
Michel-Esdras Bernier, Former
Minister of Inland Revenue
*
Colonel
Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...
(Ret.)
Jean Berthiaume,
OBE,
CD, infantry officer of the Régiment de St-Hyacinthe and of the
Royal 22e Régiment - 1915-2003
*
Martin Brodeur,
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
(NHL) hockey player,
goalie 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 (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...
*
Geneviève Brouillette, actress
*
Jean-Paul Cabana, racing driver
*
Anthony Chabot (1813-1888), businessman and entrepreneur known for his development of
water systems and
hydraulic mines, especially in
Northern California
Northern California (commonly shortened to NorCal) is a geocultural region that comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, spanning the northernmost 48 of the state's List of counties in California, 58 counties. Northern Ca ...
.
*
Gérard Côté,
marathon runner
*
Denis DeJordy, National Hockey League (NHL) hockey player
*
Sébastien Demers, boxer
*
Henriette Dessaulles (1860–1946), journalist (aka Fadette)
*
Gérald Fauteux (1900–1980), former
Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court of Canada
*
Willie Lamothe (1920–1992), singer and actor
* Sir
François Langelier (1838–1915), politician
*
Ricardo Larrivée, cooking show host
*
Pierre Lassonde, businessperson and
philanthropist
*
Yvan Loubier, politician
*
Victor Morin,
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 distin ...
, politician, and writer
*
David Savard,
NHL player for the
Montreal Canadiens
*
Hyacinthe-Marie Simon, dit Delorme, (1777–1814) son of Jacques-Hyacinthe Simon dit Delorme, the original owner of the seigneurie
*
Mario Pouliot, former head hockey coach for
Saint-Hyacinthe Laser LHJMQ
Gallery
File:QC StHyacinthe1 tango7174.jpg, St. Hyacinth's Cathedral
File:St-Hyacinthe Marché-Centre 2005 cropped.jpg, St. Hyacinthe's public market
File:Saint-hyacinthe-dusk.jpg, The Yamaska River
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
File:Château Maska 2007 - Saint-Hyacinthe.jpg, Château Maska
File:Siège Social ING (vue arrière) - Saint-Hyacinthe 2007.jpg, Intact Financial 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
See also
*
Alexander "Buck" Choquette
*
Jewish colonies in Canada
*
List of towns in Quebec
This is the list of municipalities that have the Classification of municipalities in Quebec, Quebec municipality type of city (Quebec), city (''ville'', code=V), an Administrative divisions of Quebec, administrative division defined by the Minist ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Quebec
Incorporated places in Les Maskoutains Regional County Municipality