Nestled in the heart of the Capitale-Nationale administrative region, Saint-Hilarion is a parish municipality in the Charlevoix Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada. This picturesque community is known for its rich history, stunning geography, and unique geology.
Saint-Hilarion is a haven for nature lovers. The territory is dotted with several lakes, including Lac aux Bois-Verts and Lac à la Mine. The landscape is dominated by a church built on a hill, offering panoramic views of the surrounding countryside and its numerous farms. At an altitude of 400 meters, Saint-Hilarion is truly a gem in the heart of the hinterland.
The colonization of Saint-Hilarion began in 1830 with the arrival of the first clearers from the Éboulements. In 1864, the parish of Saint-Hilarion-de-Settrington was erected both civilly and canonically, leading to the birth of the township of Settrington in 1855. This township later became the municipality of the parish of Saint-Hilarion in 1956. The post office, opened in 1860, also adopted the name of the township, which was proclaimed in 1822 and derived from a village in English Yorkshire. In 1892, the municipality received its current name, identical to that of the parish.
The name Saint-Hilarion is believed to have been chosen due to the harsh and hasty winters experienced in the area, reminiscent of the austere life of Saint Hilarion, a monk from the early days of Christianity. Born in Tabatha, Palestine, around 291, Saint Hilarion died around 371. A 10th-century Byzantine Architecture church on the northern island of Cyprus bears his name. This ancient site includes the ruins of a château built around a once important hermitage.
Saint-Hilarion is located about ten kilometers from the center of the Charlevoix impact structure, discovered in 1968. As of 2009, this is considered the thirteenth largest impact structure identified on Earth. The soil in Saint-Hilarion, like many municipalities in Charlevoix, is full of impactite, a rocky material found at the site of a meteoric impact. An asteroid with a diameter of 2 kilometers struck the Charlevoix region about 350 million years ago, creating an impact structure 56 kilometers in diameter. The Charlevoix region is known for its regular seismic activity within the Charlevoix Seismic Zone, even if the tremors are not always felt. Major earthquakes felt in Saint-Hilarion include those in 1534, 1663, 1791, 1870, 1925, and 1988.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Saint-Hilarion had a population of 1,146 living in 492 of its 533 total private dwellings, a change of 1.7% from its 2016 population of 1,127. With a land area of 100.3 km2 (38.7 sq mi), it had a population density of 11.4/km2 (29.6/sq mi) in 2021. The population trend shows a slight decrease from 1,191 in 2006 to 1,181 in 2011, and then a slight increase to 1,146 in 2021. The mother tongue of the population is 100% French.
