Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans is a municipality in the Capitale-Nationale

Capitale-Nationale

Capitale-Nationale is one of 17 administrative regions of Quebec, Canada. Quebec City, Quebec's centre of government, is located in this region. It has a land area of 18,638.7 km2...

 region of Quebec, Canada, part of the L'Île-d'Orléans Regional County Municipality

L'Île-d'Orléans Regional County Municipality, Quebec

L'Île-d'Orléans is a Regional County Municipality in central Quebec, Canada, in the Capitale-Nationale region. Its seat is in Sainte-Famille. The RCM consists solely of the Île d'Orléans, an island in the Saint Lawrence River just east of Quebec City. It is the smallest RCM in Quebec in terms of...

. It is situated on the west side of Orléans Island

Île d'Orléans

Île d'Orléans is located in the Saint Lawrence River about east of downtown Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The island was one of the first parts of the province to be colonized by the French, and a large percentage of French Canadians can trace ancestry to early residents of the island...

, and accessible by Quebec Route 368

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...

 and the Île d'Orléans Bridge which connects Saint-Pierre with the Beauport borough of Quebec City

Quebec City

Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...

.

The Quebec poet and songwriter Félix Leclerc

Félix Leclerc

Félix Leclerc, was a French-Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, writer, actor and Québécois political activist. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada on December 20, 1968...

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

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

Saint Peter

Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...

. 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.

In 1935, the Île d'Orléans Bridge 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-et-Saint-Paul was renamed to Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans to better distinguish the town from other namesake municipalities.

Demographics

Population:

• Population in 2006: 1816 (2001 to 2006 population change: -4.0 %)
• Population in 2001: 1891
• Population in 1996: 1982
• Population in 1991: 1992

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 719 (total dwellings: 760)

Mother tongue:

• English as first language: 0.6 %
• French as first language: 96.3 %
• English and French as first language: 0.6 %
• Other as first language: 2.5 %

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 house

A sugar house, also known as sap house, sugar shack, sugar shanty or sugar cabin is a semi-commercial establishment, prominent mainly in Eastern Canada...

s.

Local attractions include:

• Espace Félix-Leclerc - a museum and art gallery in a historic building dedicated to the works of poet and songwriter Félix Leclerc
  Félix Leclerc
  Félix Leclerc, was a French-Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, writer, actor and Québécois political activist. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada on December 20, 1968...
  
  , as well as showcasing other Quebec folk singers
• Wineries and vineyards - offering tours and tasting local wines

External links

• Île d'Orléans - Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans portrait