Sillery (), a former independent city founded in 1637, is one of 35 administrative sectors (), which are unincorporated places, located in the post-expansion jurisdiction of the City of

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 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 ...

. Sillery was one of multiple self-governing municipalities

amalgamated Amalgamation is the process of combining or uniting multiple entities into one form. Amalgamation, amalgam, and other derivatives may refer to: Mathematics and science * Amalgam (chemistry), the combination of mercury with another metal **Pan ama ...

into a vastly expanded

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

, that went into legal effect on January 1, 2002, as part of the province-wide

2000–06 municipal reorganization in Quebec The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

. Located alongside in what pre-merger was the southwestern border of Quebec City, Sillery is a constituent district () of the

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

() of

Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge () is a borough of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The borough was created on November 1, 2009, The neighbourhood of Sillery contains the

Sillery Heritage Site The Sillery Heritage Site () is an area containing historic residences and institutional properties located in the Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge Boroughs of Quebec City, borough of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. It was the first of 13 declared her ...

, which was recognized as heritage district by the provincial government on 5 February 1964. On 22 June 2006, the

federal government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...

Parks Canada Parks Canada ()Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 37 National Parks, three National Marine Co ...

included Sillery's historic district on its

Canadian Register of Historic Places The Canadian Register of Historic Places (CRHP; , ), also known as Canada's Historic Places, is an online directory of historic places in Canada which have been formally recognized for their heritage value by a federal, provincial, territorial ...

. In 2013, Quebec City changed the name of the historic district to ''Sillery Heritage Site'' (), as part of its preparation for the provincial government's transfer of responsibility for the district's management to it. The City of Quebec has 27 neighbourhood councils () spread across its territorial jurisdiction. Sillery has city representation and citizen participation through ''le conseil de quartier de Sillery''. The council has public meetings, at Sillery's community centre, which on average are scheduled once a month. Sillery elects a total of 10 board members in staggered terms of office holding.

History

Sillery was named for

Noël Brûlart de Sillery Noël Brûlart (or ''Brulart''"''Sillery''"
on Quebec toponymy commission.) de Sillery (1577 ...

(1577–1640),

Knight of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic lay religious ...

. A wealthy and successful French

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

, he renounced worldly goods and became a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

. He provided the funds for the establishment in 1637–1638 of a settlement for

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

converts to Catholicism. The community was established at a cove where the

Algonquin Algonquin or Algonquian—and the variation Algonki(a)n—may refer to: Languages and peoples *Algonquian languages, a large subfamily of Native American languages in a wide swath of eastern North America from Canada to Virginia **Algonquin la ...

gathered for summer to fish for eels. Originally named in honour of Saint Joseph and called Kamiskouaouangachit in the

Algonquin language Algonquin (also spelled Algonkin; in Algonquin: or ) is either a distinct Algonquian languages, Algonquian language closely related to the Ojibwe language or a particularly divergent Ojibwe language dialects, Ojibwe dialect. It is spoken, alon ...

, the settlement became the home of up to 40 Algonquin Christian families who lived there most of the year, excluding the hunting season. The formation of this settlement came as a result of longterm Algonquin interest in agriculture, conversions to Christianity, and pressure from the ongoing Beaver War. The residents included Algonquins from as far away as the Ottawa river valley.

Missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...

New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...

, such as

Jacques Gravier Jacques Gravier, SJ (17 May 1651 – 17 April 1708) was a French Jesuit missionary in the New World. He founded the Illinois mission in 1696, where he ministered to the several tribes of the territory. He was notable for his compilation of the ...

, studied with the indigenous residents of Sillery to learn their languages before going to more distant settlements. By the early 18th century, he had compiled a nearly 600–page dictionary of

Kaskaskia The Kaskaskia were a historical Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. They were one of about a dozen cognate tribes that made up the Illiniwek Confederation, also called the Illinois Confederation. Their longstanding homeland was in ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

–

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

. By 1640, the Augustinian sisters established a convent in the community, which hosted non-permanent residents of the community, especially refugees of the Beaver War or seasonal visitors in winter. Many of the community's natives fell victim to

epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of hosts in a given population within a short period of time. For example, in meningococcal infection ...

s of new

infectious diseases infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...

, to which they had no natural immunity. The settlement was largely depopulated by the late 1680s. Renamed Sillery in honour of its financier, the town later became important as a port for the

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

industry. The city of Sillery's motto was ''non multa sed multum'', the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

proverb of "not many things, but much," a fit descriptor for the small enclave. From the land at the water's edge, including

Anse-au-Foulon Anse au Foulon () is a small cove in Quebec, Canada. It was located about one and one-half miles above Quebec City, in the formerly independent town of Sillery, until 1 January 2002, as part of the 2000–06 municipal reorganization in Quebec. S ...

, site of the disembarkation of

General Wolfe Major general (United Kingdom), Major-general James Wolfe (2 January 1727 – 13 September 1759) was a British Army officer known for his training reforms and, as a Major-general (United Kingdom), major general, remembered chiefly for his vi ...

's successful army in the

Battle of the Plains of Abraham The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec (), was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War (referred to as the French and Indian War to describe the North American theatre). The battle, which took place on 13 Sept ...

, the community spread up to the top of the heights overlooking the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...

. In 1760, during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

, the

Battle of Sainte-Foy The Battle of Sainte-Foy () sometimes called the Battle of Quebec (), was fought on April 28, 1760, near the British-held town of Quebec in the French province of Canada during the Seven Years' War (called the French and Indian War in the United ...

was fought near Sillery, as part of a French attempt to re-capture Quebec City, which had been taken by the British the previous year. Sillery houses Bois-de-Coulonge Park, once the viceregal residence of Quebec. A

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...

known as Spencer Wood was built in 1854 by the government of the

Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...

, and was purchased by the Quebec Government in 1870 to serve as the residence of Quebec's Lieutenant-Governors until 1966, when a major fire destroyed the main residence. Originally an estate () named in honour of the assassinated

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Prime Minister

Spencer Perceval Spencer Perceval (1 November 1762 – 11 May 1812) was a British statesman and barrister who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1809 until his assassination in May 1812. He is the only British prime minister to have been as ...

, in 1815, by his nephew, Michael Henry Perceval, it was renamed Bois-de-Coulonge in 1950. Commanding the bluffs just west of the city of Québec, in modern times Sillery was known principally for its quiet tree-lined streets, historic churches such as Saint-Michel de Sillery Church, views of the river, and several very old schools run by a variety of

religious institute In the Catholic Church, a religious institute is "a society in which members, according to proper law, pronounce public religious vows, vows, either perpetual or temporary which are to be renewed, however, when the period of time has elapsed, a ...

s. Its coat of arms consisted of a red shield with a white Maltese cross in the upper right hand corner and a three-masted ship in the lower left.

Profile

On January 1, 2002, as part of a legislated amalgamation of cities across Quebec, Sillery ceased to exist as an independent

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

. Its territory became a part of the Sainte-Foy—Sillery—Cap-Rouge Borough of Quebec. Of the former municipalities that now comprise Quebec, Sillery was relatively linguistically diverse. In 2006, % of its population had at least English for mother tongue, and % for languages other than French or English, while for the

census metropolitan area The census geographic units of Canada are the census subdivisions defined and used by Canada's federal government statistics bureau Statistics Canada to conduct the country's quinquennial census. These areas exist solely for the purposes of stat ...

of Quebec City, it was respectively % and %. Sillery is also known as one of the most affluent area of Quebec City, as residential properties sold on average for in 2017, and where live a number of professors of nearby

Laval University Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of: People * House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne * Laval (surname) Places Belgium * Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxe ...

. Nonetheless, there is still a pocket of modest and small apartment buildings. According to the statistics agency of Quebec, in 2001 the average income of Sillery households was , and 58% of them earned more than per year (in both case the highest figure in the

Capitale-Nationale Capitale-Nationale (; ) is one of the 17 administrative regions of Quebec. It is anchored by the provincial capital, Quebec City, and is largely coextensive with that city's metropolitan area. It has a land area of 18,684.78 km2. It reported ...

region.) In 2012, the personal average income was , still the highest in the Quebec City region.

2006 Census data

The city of Sillery was dissolved in 2002, but

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

still provided information up to the Census of 2006: *Population: (-% change since 2001) *Number of private dwellings: *Average household size : persons *Median household income (for 2005): *Percentage of Canadian citizens: % *Percentage of

visible minority In Canada, a visible minority () is defined by the Government of Canada as "persons, other than aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour". The term is used primarily as a demographic category by Statistics Canada ...

: 5% *Population over 15 years of age without a certificate, diploma or degree: % *Area: km² *Density: persons per km²

2016 Sociodemographic and economic profile

In January 2019, the City of Québec published a

longitudinal Longitudinal is a geometric term of location which may refer to: * Longitude ** Line of longitude, also called a meridian * Longitudinal engine, an internal combustion engine in which the crankshaft is oriented along the long axis of the vehicle, ...

sociodemographic () and economic profile of Sillery, utilizing

's census data for the years

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, and

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

. *Population: (-% change since 1996) *Number of private dwellings: *Average household size : persons *Median household income (for 2015): *Percentage of Canadian citizens: % *Population over 15 years of age without a certificate, diploma or degree: %

Gallery

External links

* * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sillery, Quebec City 1637 establishments in the French colonial empire Catholic missions of New France Neighbourhoods in Quebec City First Nations history in Canada Former municipalities in Quebec Populated places disestablished in 2002