Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans (, ) is a municipality in the

Capitale-Nationale Capitale-Nationale (; ) is one of the 17 administrative regions of Quebec. It is anchored by the provincial capital, Quebec City, and is largely coextensive with that city's metropolitan area. It has a land area of 18,684.78 km2. It reported ...

region of Quebec, Canada, part of the

L'Île-d'Orléans Regional County Municipality L'Île-d'Orléans () is a regional county municipality in central Quebec, Canada, in the Capitale-Nationale region. Its seat is Sainte-Famille-de-l'Île-d'Orléans. The population in the 2016 census was 7,082 people. The RCM consists solely of ...

. It is situated on the west side of Orléans Island, and accessible by

Quebec Route 368 Route 368 is a 72 km two-lane east/west highway in Quebec, Canada, which is located on Île d'Orléans and includes the Pont de l'Île which connects the island to the mainland. It starts at the junction of Autoroute 40 at exit 325 in Beaupor ...

and the

Île d'Orléans Bridge The Île d'Orléans Bridge, known locally as the Pont de l'Île, is a suspension bridge that spans the Saint Lawrence River between the Beauport borough of Quebec City and Île d'Orléans (Orléans Island) in the Canadian province of Quebec. It ...

which connects Saint-Pierre with the Beauport borough of

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 ...

. Until 1997, it was known simply as Saint-Pierre. The Quebec poet and songwriter

Félix Leclerc Félix Leclerc (August 2, 1914 – August 8, 1988) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, writer, actor and political activist. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada on December 20, 1968. Leclerc was posthumously inducted into ...

(1914-1988) is buried in this town, having lived there from 1958 to his death.

Geography

Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans is located on the west side of Orléans Island, downstream from

, in the estuary of the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

. Since the northern slope of the island is conducive to the cultivation of grapes, apples and berries, several agri-food companies are located there, including vineyards, orchards and cider factories, a blackcurrant liqueur factory, pick-your-own small fruit and more.

History

The first European settlers came to the area around 1660. They constructed the first chapel in 1662 and by 1679 the Parish of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul was formed which at that time also included the territory of

Sainte-Pétronille Sainte-Pétronille () is a village municipality in the L'Île-d'Orléans Regional County Municipality in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada. It is situated on the south-western tip of Orléans Island, facing Quebec City. Former not ...

. Between 1716 and 1718, one of the oldest churches in Quebec was built (since 1954 classified as a historic monument and occasionally used as a concert hall). In 1722, the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

was established. For 54 years from 1734 to 1788, the first bishop of Quebec born in Canada, Louis-Philippe Mariauchau d'Esgly (1710-1788), served there as the resident priest. In 1845, the Parish Municipality was formed under the name of Saint-Pierre-Isle-d'Orléans, probably in honour of

Apostle Peter An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...

. It was abolished two years later in 1847 when it became part of the County Municipality, but restored again in 1855 as Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul. In 1874, it lost a portion of its territory when Sainte-Pétronille separated and became a municipality. Over time, only the "Saint-Pierre" part of the name was retained. In 1935, the

was built, leading to a steady increase of residential development and making Saint-Pierre now the most populated municipality on the island. In 1997, the Parish Municipality of Saint-Pierre was renamed to Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans to better distinguish the town from other namesake municipalities.

Demographics

Population

Language

Tourism and attractions

Orleans Island, known as the "Garden of Quebec", attracts many vacationers and daytrippers with its pastoral character and cultural heritage. Since they enter the island through Saint-Pierre, it is home to many businesses catering to tourism, such as bed-and-breakfast accommodations, restaurants, art galleries, and

sugar house "Sugar Shack" is a song written in 1962 by Keith McCormack. McCormack gave songwriting credit to his aunt, Beulah Faye Voss, after asking what are "those tight pants that girls wear" to which she replied "leotards". The song was recorded in 1963 ...

s. Local attractions include: * Espace Félix-Leclerc - a museum and art gallery in a historic building dedicated to the works of poet and songwriter

, as well as showcasing other Quebec folk singers * Wineries and vineyards - offering tours and tasting local wines

Local government

Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans forms part of the federal electoral district of Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d'Orléans—Charlevoix and has been represented by

Gabriel Hardy Gabriel Hardy is a Canadian politician from the Conservative Party of Canada. He was elected Member of Parliament for Montmorency—Charlevoix in the 2025 Canadian federal election The 2025 Canadian federal election was held on April 28, 2 ...

of the Conservative Party since 2025. Provincially, Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans is part of the

Charlevoix–Côte-de-Beaupré Charlevoix–Côte-de-Beaupré () is a provincial electoral district in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada, that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. It consists of the entire territory of the following regional count ...

electoral district and has been represented by

Kariane Bourassa Kariane Bourassa is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the National Assembly of Quebec in the 2022 Quebec general election. She represents the riding of Charlevoix–Côte-de-Beaupré as a member of the Coalition Avenir Québec The Co ...

of the

Coalition Avenir Québec The Coalition Avenir Québec (, , CAQ) is a Quebec nationalism, Quebec nationalist, Autonomism in Quebec, autonomist and conservatism, conservative

since 2022. List of former mayors: * Roger Deblois (2003–2009) * Jacques Trudel (2009–2013) * Sylvain Bergeron (2013–present)

References

External links

Île d'Orléans - Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans portrait
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint-Pierre-de-l'Ile-d'Orleans, Quebec Incorporated places in Capitale-Nationale Municipalities in Quebec L'Île-d'Orléans Regional County Municipality