Sainte-Croix, Quebec

Sainte-Croix is a municipality in and the seat of the Municipalité régionale de comté de Lotbinière in Quebec, Canada. It is part of the Chaudière-Appalaches region and the population is 2,433 as of 2009. The new constitution dates from 2001, after the amalgamation of the parish and the village of Sainte-Croix.

Name

Sainte-Croix name refers to the True Cross, but was in use well before its foundation in 1713. In fact, the seigneurie of Sainte-Croix was granted in 1637 to the Company of One Hundred Associates at a point named Platon Sainte-Croix (Holy Cross Flats in English), at the mouth of the Jacques-Cartier River. It had been named as such by Jacques Cartier, who had spent the winter of 1535-36 there. Samuel de Champlain explained in 1613 that there had been a mistake and this was not the place where Jacques Cartier had wintered. The point is now called Pointe Platon ("Plato (or Flat) Point").

References

• Commission de toponymie du Québec
• Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l'Occupation du territoire