Saint-Sylvestre () is a municipality in the

Lotbinière Regional County Municipality Lotbinière () is a regional county municipality in the Chaudière-Appalaches region of Quebec. It is an almost exclusively rural RCM, with no village with a population above 4,000. As of the 2016 Canadian census, the RCM had a population of 31,7 ...

, in

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 part of the

Chaudière-Appalaches Chaudière-Appalaches (, ) is an administrative region in Quebec, Canada. It comprises most of what is historically known as the " Beauce" (; compare with the electoral district of Beauce). It is named for the Chaudière River and the Appalachia ...

region and had a population is 989 as of 2009. It is named after

Pope Sylvester I Pope Sylvester I (also Silvester, before 284 – 31 December 335) was the bishop of Rome from 31 January 314 until his death on 31 December 335. He filled the See of Rome at an important era in the history of the Western Church, though very lit ...

"Miracles"

In 1948-1949, the Bélanger family of Saint-Sylvestre found fame in performing "healing

miracles A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...

." Visitors from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

came to be cured by one of the four Bélanger children, aged 8 to 12. The children allegedly acquired healing powers after they had seen their deceased sisters dressed like

angels An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

and escorted by the

Holy Virgin Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under various titles such as virgin or queen, many of them mentioned in the Litany of Loret ...

. Visitors would leave money to the children for their curing deeds, and they received the support of Reverend Emile Bourassa, from neighbouring

Saint-Patrice-de-Beaurivage Saint-Patrice-de-Beaurivage () is a municipality in the Lotbinière Regional County Municipality in Quebec, Canada. It is part of the Chaudière-Appalaches region and had a population is 1,109 as of 2021. It is named after Saint Patrick, as its ...

. The priest of Saint-Sylvestre, Reverend Edmond Pelletier, preached against the "miracles," and in 1949, Archbishop

Maurice Roy Maurice Roy (January 25, 1905 – October 24, 1985) was a Canadian Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Quebec from 1947 to 1981. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 1965. Early life Roy was born in Quebec City as one of thre ...

, in the name of the

Archdiocese of Quebec The Archdiocese of Québec (; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Quebec, Canada. It is the oldest episcopal see in the New World north of Mexico and the primatial see of Canada. The Archdioce ...

, ruled the affair as a hoax. The Bélanger home soon closed to visitors soon afterward.

Royal Canadian Air Force Station St. Sylvestre

From 1953 to 1964, Saint-Sylvestre hosted a

Pinetree Line The Pinetree Line was a series of radar stations located across southern Canada at about the 50th parallel north, along with a number of other stations located on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Run by North American Aerospace Defense Comm ...

radar station Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), direction (azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track aircraft ...

on Mont Saint-Marguerite, just five miles southeast of the village. Construction started in 1952, and the station opened on 15 September 1953, as RCAF Station Ste-Marie. It was renamed RCAF Station St. Sylvestre in 1955 and closed in 1964.Marie-France St-Laurent, En passant par le rang Beaurivage: Saint-Sylvestre. See: http://www.sphslotbiniere.org/Municipalites/Documents/Article-Rassembleur-Saint-Sylvestre.pdf Accessed 21.04.2016

References

Commission de toponymie du QuébecMinistère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l'Occupation du territoire

{{authority control Municipalities in Quebec Incorporated places in Chaudière-Appalaches Designated places in Quebec Lotbinière Regional County Municipality