Saint-Tite
City
Catholic Church & presbytery, Notre-Dame Street
Coat of arms
Motto:  L'union dans l'action
Location within Mékinac RCM.
Saint-Tite Location in central Quebec.
Coordinates:46°44′N72°34′W / 46.733°N 72.567°W /46.733; -72.567
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Mauricie
RCM	Mékinac
Constituted	December 23, 1998
Government
• Mayor	Annie Pronovost
• Federal riding	Saint-Maurice—Champlain
• Prov. riding	Laviolette
Area
• Total	92.90 km2 (35.87 sq mi)
• Land	91.10 km2 (35.17 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[1]
• Total	3,672
• Density	40.3/km2 (104/sq mi)
• Pop 2016-2021	0.0%
• Dwellings	2,271
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	G0X 3H0
Area code(s)	418 and 581
Highways	R-153 R-159
Website	www.villest-tite.com

Saint-Tite (French pronunciation:[sɛ̃tit]) is a Canadian city located at the foothills of theLaurentians, betweenGrandes-Piles andSaint-Adelphe, in the MauricieRCM of Mékinac. A large body of water,Lake Pierre-Paul, bathes the northeastern part of the territory.^[2]'^[3]

The name of the parish of Saint-Tite is attested in 1859 and was established thanks to the canonical and civil election that occurred in 1863 following its detachment fromSainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade andSaint-Stanislas de-la-Rivière-des-Envies. The post office, opened in 1859, and the parish municipality, established in 1863, took over the parish name that celebrates a companion ofSt. Paul the Apostle, who converted him in the first century by entrusting him with the task of organizing the Church ofEphesus.^[2]

The first real inhabitants of the area wereIndigenous peoples of the Americas –Algonquins,Innu andMétis – who lived near Lake Kapibouska.^[3][2]Indigenous peoples of the Americas. The small settlement of Saint-Juste-de Kapibouska took the name of Saint-Tite at the end of the 1850. SmallIndigenous andMétis communities lived in makeshift camps whose permanence or duration depended on the availability ofhunting,fishing, the quality of the soil to be cultivated, as many also did some gardening, and thefur trade. All French attempts to settle theAlgonquins had failed.^[4]

Mission. The Saint-Juste de Kapibouska mission was set up for the Aboriginal people living at Kapibouska Lake. At the beginning of the 19th century,missionaries visited the territory.

Pioneers. In the early 1830s, lumber yards were booming on theRivière des Envies. The first settler of French-Canadian origin settled around 1833 in the area of the future city of Saint-Tite. Over time, several other pioneers were established.

Apart from the missionaries' visits, the settlers had to travel several kilometers to reach the church of St. Stanislaus. The first chapel-presbytery was built in the 1850s. The first resident priest arrived in 1859.

Easter water. From the beginning of colonization, it is likely that gatheringEaster water was a common practice among members of the Christian community. In 1995, the first organized harvest and the blessing of Easter water took place at the Curé Boutet spring. The faithful get their feet wet, get dirty with mud, some fall on patches of ice. Safety and accessibility are the reasons for the construction oftemporary sets. Today, throughout Quebec, this practice has become increasingly rare, becoming a social gathering or even a tourist activity.^[5]

On Easter Sunday, we will have the celebration of Easter water at 4:30 a.m. before sunrise at the Curé spring at the end of Rue du Couvent. Afterwards, we will gather as a big family for a fraternal lunch at the Seniors' Club room around 5:30 am (Breakfast with baked beans, maple syrup and bread rolls, served bymembers of the Pastoral Council, free of charge).
Source: The parish leaflet of the Christian community of the parish of Saint-Tite, April 12, 1998^[6].

Railway Fever 1878: The vast territory north of the St. Lawrence Plain, with its opening onto the immensity of theCanadian Shield, evokes grandiose dreams. In 1878, St. Laurence, Lower Laurentian & Saguenay obtained permission to build a track betweenTrois-Rivières andSaguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean via Saint-Tite^[7].
Note:Kapibouska: of Algonquian origin, this name means "place of camp where there are reeds", kapi, "place of camp", baska or bouska "rushes", "reeds".^[3]

The coat of arms of the city was adopted in 1954 by the city council.^[8]

The coat of arms of Saint-Tite is blazoned thus:Greek cross gules a chief azure point, flanked by a toothed wheel segment money dexter and a gear segment sinister gold, containing a skin tight leather gold dextral and sinistral spruce money, overcoming mountains of sand placed on a terrace or charged with a blue river.

The city is crossed by theRivière des Envies, a tributary of theBatiscan River.Rivière des Envies has its source atLake Traverse inSainte-Thècle and enters at the northern part (in "Grand marais" sector) of the territory of Saint-Tite. It crosses the municipality through the city, then heads toProulxville.^[9]

In the2021 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, Saint-Tite had a population of3,672 living in1,915 of its2,271 total private dwellings, a change of-0% from its 2016 population of3,673. With a land area of 91.1 km² (35.2 sq mi), it had a population density of40.3/km² (104.4/sq mi) in 2021.^[10]

According to the 2021 census:

• Less than 1% of the population is immigrant.
• 24% of the population over 15 years has no diploma.
• 10% of the population over 15 years has a degree of higher education.
• 59.6% of the population of Saint-Tite is urban. The urban area of Saint-Tite has a population of 2,190 and an area of 2.69 km² in 2021, or a density of 814.6 inhabitants/km².
• Private dwellings occupied by usual residents in 2021: 1,915 (total dwellings: 2,271)

Mother language of Saint-Tite's citizens:

Almost all of the population speaks French as a mother tongue:

• 17.4% of the population masters both official languages of Canada.
• French as first language: 98.5%
• English as first language: 0.6%
• English and French as first language: 0.4%
• Other as first language: 0.4%

The city of Saint-Tite is particularly known for theFestival Western de Saint-Tite, which takes place for 10 days in September every year. TheFestival Western de Saint-Tite was developed from arodeo inaugurated in 1967 to promote the leather industry. TheFestival Western de Saint-Tite is the largest Western attraction in EasternCanada. This festival of Eastern style, under the epithet Western, has an international reputation. The festival's success has led to the remodeling of some of the town's infrastructures to resemble a western frontier town of the late nineteenth or early twentieth centuries^{[citation needed]}. Since 1999, theRodeo ofFestival Western de Saint-Tite is awarded as the "Best outdoorrodeo inAmericas"^{[citation needed]}. The festival features a variety of activities that take place at a rate^{[clarification needed]} of horsemen and the sound of country music and in Eastern decor: competition, conference, parade, tasting, demonstrations, exhibitions, shows, etc... The horsemen and women can participate in various tests of skill on horseback or on wild bull (with or without a saddle). They can participate in speed events, such as steer roping, or skill tests, such as barrel racing^{[citation needed]}. During the 10 days of the Festival, several events take place in the various marquees erected around the city or at the Country Club Desjardins, a site that looks like a typical western town. The festival is marked by a country western character. The "Galaxie Rising Star Award" awarded at the Festival contributes to the development of musical talent in the country western area^{[citation needed]}.

Saint-Tite is an important part of the novelLes Filles de Caleb (Caleb's daughters), written by novelistArlette Cousture. The backstory of this novel is based on the life of Émilie Bordeleau, a country school teacher who taught and lived with her children in schools in the area.

Highway 153 connects Saint-Tite toShawinigan andLac-aux-Sables, and Highway 159 toSaint-Roch-de-Mékinac andSainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade. Saint-Tite is also served by theVia Rail Canada passenger train service, theSaint-Tite station (station platform) is at 310 Marchildon Street.^[15]

• Julie Boulet, politician, member of theLiberal Party of Quebec.
• Gratien Gélinas (1909-1999), playwright and actor.

• Saint-Tite, Watercourses, Lake, Spring
• 
  Rivière Mékinac du Nord from bridge P-03959,steel-wood, under embankment (1982),^[14] rang Haut-du-Lac Nord
• 
  Le Bourdais River, from Bridge P-0363,reinforced concrete gantry, under embankment (1948),^[14] route 359, Rang du Haut-du-Lac-Nord
• 
  South Mékinac River theLaurentians, the river, from the bridge P-03952, Reinforced concrete frame, under embankment,^[14]Quebec Route 359
• 
  Barbier Spring^[16] (Vernacular name, Notre-Dame Street, 2023

• Gathering Easter water
• 
  Curé Boutet spring (Common name), rue du Couvent^[5]
• 
  Curé Boutet spring, rue du Couvent
• 
  Curé Boutet spring, rue du Couvent
• 
  Breakfast with baked beans, maple syrup and bread rolls, served by members of the Pastoral Council, free of charge, St-Joseph blvd
• 
  Source du Barbier^[16] (vernacular name), Notre-Dame Street, 2012
• 
  Source du Barbier (vernacular name), Notre-Dame Street, 2012

• City's heart
• 
  Catholic Church sign on Notre-Dame Street, corner Saint-Paul
• 
  Saint-Paul Street, Catholic Church on Notre-Dame Street
• 
  Catholic Parish Cemetery sign, Saint-Joseph Blvd., (Quebec Route 159)
• 
  Catholic Parish Cemetery, Saint-Joseph Blvd., (Quebec Route 159)
• 
  FormerVia Rail Canada Station Platform, rue Marchildon^[15]'^[7]
• 
  Former Via Rail Canada Station Platform, rue Marchildon

• Hydroclimatic Atlas of Southern Quebec, Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs
• Batiscanie, Quebec
• Rivière des Envies
• Batiscan River
• Pierre-Paul River
• North Mekinac River
• Lake Roberge (Grandes-Piles)
• Mékinac Regional County Municipality

1. "Histoire de Saint-Tite 1833-1984 (History of Saint-Tite 1833-1984)" (second edition). Published in 1984 in French by Éditions Souvenance Inc and Historical Committee. 471 pages. Book Committee: Raymonde Rompré-LeBrun, Gisèle St-Amant-Matton, Gérard Brunelle, Marielle Brouillette, Louise Nobert-Béland, Pierre LeBrun, Jean-Pierre Paquet. Member of the "History of Saint-Tite" project sponsored by "Development Canada Community Project": Cécile Gélinas, Cécile Chaillé-Trépanier and Pierrette Délisle. Old photographs reproduced largely by Michel Pothier.(in French)
2. "Répertoire des naissances et des baptêmes de Saint-Tite de Champlain 1859-1940 (Directory of births and baptisms of St. Tite de Champlain 1859-1940)", compiled by Jacques Delisle. Published in French.(in French)
3. "Répertoire des mariages de la paroisse Saint-Tite de Champlain: 1859-1959 (Directory of marriages of the parish Saint-Tite de Champlain: 1859-1959)", Campagna, Dominique. Cap-de-la-Madeleine, s.n., 1968. 186 p.(in French)
4. "Répertoire des décès et des sépultures de Saint-Tite de Champlain 1859-1940 (Directory death and burial of St. Tite de Champlain 1859-1940)", compiled by Jacques Delisle, 135 pages.(in French)

• City of Saint-Tite of Champlain (Ville de Saint-Tite de Champlain):Official website(in French)

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