Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec

Saint-Jean-Port-Joli is a village in the Regional County Municipality of L'Islet within the Chaudière-Appalaches region of Quebec, Canada. It is located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River and is the county seat. The village is located off the Trans-Canada Highway, Autoroute 20. Route 132 passes through the town.

Saint-Jean-Port-Joli
Municipality
Location within L'Islet RCM.
Saint-Jean-Port-Joli
Location in southern Quebec.
Coordinates: 47°13′N 70°16′W[1]
Country Canada
Province Quebec
RegionChaudière-Appalaches
RCML'Islet
ConstitutedJuly 1, 1855
Government
 • MayorJean-Pierre Dubé
 • Federal ridingMontmagny—L'Islet—
Kamouraska—Rivière-
du-Loup
 • Prov. ridingCôte-du-Sud
Area
 • Total240.90 km2 (93.01 sq mi)
 • Land68.95 km2 (26.62 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[3]
 • Total3,304
 • Density47.9/km2 (124/sq mi)
 • Pop 2006-2011
 1.8%
 • Dwellings
1,658
Demonym(s)Port-Jolien(ne)
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)
G0R 3G0
Area code(s)418 and 581
Highways
A-20 (TCH)
Route 132
Route 204
Websitewww.saintjean
portjoli.com

It is known for its craftspeople and artists, especially in the fields of wood carving and sculpture. There are also several well-reputed restaurants.

History
Processional chapel in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli

The village takes its name from the seigneury of Port-Joly, which was established in 1677. The Parish of St-Jean-Port-Joli was canonically established in 1721. The church, on which construction began in 1779, has unique architecture and houses many sculptures. The municipality was created in 1845 and became part of L'Islet County (a predecessor to the RCM of L'Islet) in 1847. In 1855, it became a parish municipality, and in 1857 it was split into the municipalities of St-Jean-Port-Joli and Saint-Aubert.[4]

Like most other villages that lie in the Côte-du-Sud region between Rivière-Ouelle and Beaumont, most of its houses were burned down in September 1759. Under the orders of British general James Wolfe, the Fraser Highlanders regiment attacked the area during the Conquest of 1760 during the French and Indian War.

The tradition of wood carving began in the early 20th century with the Bourgault brothers, Médard, Jean-Julien and André.

Tourist attractions

Despite its small population, the village is a relatively active tourist stop in the region, primarily due to the abundance of artesian wood carvers and cultural events. The village also includes a marina with access to the Saint Lawrence River at the site of the old wharf.

St-Jean-Port-Joli was awarded with the title of cultural capital of Canada in 2005.

Biennial sculpture festival

[5]

Festival of sailors' songs

This festival highlights many aspects of the village's maritime heritage, legends, and songs. Also included in the weekend-long event is a dinner, workshops, literary contest, sailboat race, market, films, and expositions.[6]

The autumn violins

This is an annual festival of music that has taken place since 1998. Every year in the month of September, fiddlers gather and play music from a wide variety of genres.[7]

The winter festival

In the month of February, the Trois-Bérets park invites ice sculptors from around the world to display their talent. Additionally, the festival contains activities for the family in the daytime, such as helicopter rides, and concerts at night.[8]

gollark: It's barely functional and somehow the remaining bit which is still usable is an APL interface.
gollark: It's an old omnipresent virtual assistant system from a civilization which collapsed ages ago.
gollark: This prompt is waaaay too big and it wouldn't maintain a coherent story.
gollark: You realize that it can only consider something like 1024 tokens at once, right?
gollark: Oh, right, prompt it.

See also

References
  1. Reference number 56895 of the Commission de toponymie du Québec (in French)
  2. Geographic code 17070 in the official Répertoire des municipalités (in French)
  3. "(Code 2417070) Census Profile". 2011 census. Statistics Canada. 2012.
  4. Toponymie : Saint-Jean-Port-Joli
  5. "La Biennale de sculpture de Saint-Jean-Port-Joli". Archived from the original on 2013-05-18.
  6. "Fête des chants de marins" (in French).
  7. "Les Violons d'Automne" (in French).
  8. "La Fête d'hiver de St-Jean-Port-Joli" (in French). Archived from the original on 2013-06-11.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.