Cap-Santé, a picturesque town in the Canadian province of Quebec, is a place of rich history and cultural heritage. As the county seat of Portneuf Regional County Municipality, Cap-Santé is nestled on the northern bank of the Saint Lawrence River, just 40 kilometres west of Quebec City. The town's name, translating to "Cape Health," is steeped in legend, believed to have been coined when soldiers miraculously recovered from an unknown disease after finding a cure in the village.
The history of Cap-Santé dates back to 1679 when the first settlers arrived. By 1714, the village had become an official parish. The present-day church, a historical-registered building, was constructed between 1754 and 1767. Despite interruptions due to the Seven Years' War, the church stands as one of the last buildings constructed under the French regime.
The church boasts a facade with two towers, a baroque interior, a neoclassical reredos, and two tiers of openings on the bell tower. The presbytery, designed by architect Charles Baillargé in 1849, features five neatly lined dormer windows. A cemetery encircles the square, leading to the river below.
The Place de l'Église square is adorned with old wells dating back to 1799. Vieux Chemin street, built along the same geographical line as Chemin-du-Roy, the first road linking Montreal and Quebec City in the 18th century, is lined with wooden and stone homes. The quay on the Saint Lawrence River adds to the town's charm.
In 1759, following the defeat of the French at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, the commander of the French forces, Chevalier de Lévis, ordered the construction of Fort Jacques-Cartier. The fort, now reduced to archaeological remains, is situated on private land in the 'Plateau Jacques-Cartier' district of the municipality. Nearby is the Allsopp House, an old seigneurial manor named after the Allsopp family, now a private property registered as a historical building.
Cap-Santé has been home to several notable figures. Marie Fitzbach, the founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of Bon Pasteur, lived in Cap-Santé from 1826–1840. Gérard Morisset, a renowned architect and art historian, was also a resident and contributed to the design of many of the region's churches.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Cap-Santé had a population of 3,594 living in 1,509 of its 1,589 total private dwellings. This marked a 5.4% increase from its 2016 population of 3,410. With a land area of 54.49 km2, the town had a population density of 66.0/km2 in 2021. The mother tongue of the residents is predominantly French, with 97.9% of the population speaking it as their first language. English is the first language for 0.9% of the population, while 0.6% speak both English and French as their first language. Other languages account for 0.4% of the first languages spoken.
