Saint-Malachie, Quebec
| Saint-Malachie | ||
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| Parish municipality | ||
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| Motto: Hospitality. Pride. Perseverance. | ||
 Location within Bellechasse RCM. |
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 Saint-Malachie
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| Coordinates: 46°32′N 70°46′W / 46.533°N 70.767°WCoordinates: 46°32′N 70°46′W / 46.533°N 70.767°W | ||
| Country |
 Canada
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| Province |
 Quebec
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| Region | Chaudière-Appalaches | |
| RCM | Bellechasse | |
| Constituted | June 1, 1874 | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Donald Therrien | |
| • Fed. riding | Lévis—Bellechasse | |
| • Prov. riding | Bellechasse | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 103.20 km2 (39.85 sq mi) | |
| • Land | 100.61 km2 (38.85 sq mi) | |
| Population (2011) | ||
| • Total | 1,489 | |
| • Density | 14.8/km2 (38/sq mi) | |
| • Pop 2006-2011 |
 5.8% |
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| • Dwellings | 800 | |
| Postal code(s) | G0R 3N0 | |
| Area code(s) | 418 and 581 | |
| Highways |
 Route 216 Route 277
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| Website | www |
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Saint-Malachie is a village of about 1,500 people in the Bellechasse Regional County Municipality, part of the Chaudière-Appalaches administrative region. The Etchemin River goes through the municipality.
St. Malachie was colonized by the Irish and Scottish shortly after the War of 1812. The land was given to several British soldiers in the eastern part of the township of Frampton along the Etchemin River.
The land was then given to Gilbert Henderson (1785-1876) who later became the major landowner in this area.The first settlers came mostly from Armagh, a religious town in Northern Ireland. The town was named St.Malachy after the Arch Bishop of Armagh. The town was civilly erected in 1874, and would later give its name to the municipality of Saint-Malachi-de-Frampton (Frampton Township), but changed once more to St. Malachie in 1948.
The toad invasion of 1873 was quite significant for this town and it is embedded in its culture and history to this day. La Crapaudière, the mountain which was named after the toad invasion, is now a special tourist attraction where people can hike or walk on and enjoy the scenery.
The original St. Malachie cemetery was the first Catholic cemetery in the upper Châteauguay Valley and dates back to the late 1820s. There was not yet an official parish at that time, however the cemetery served all residents in St. Malachie and all surrounding areas. Currently the cemetery site is now privately owned farmland and the monuments have been dispersed locally. In the 1960s, the local parish arranged to establish a commemorative memorial on the side of the road where it was originally located.
Henderson Manor is a historical landmark located along the Etchemin River and the South end of the village.
The color yellow primarily used in the piece represents Saint-Malachie’s dominant industry, which is agriculture (the farming of poultry, dairy, beef and pork products). The two croziers symbolize St. Malachy himself. St. Malachy (1094-1148), the namesake of the municipality, was the Archbishop of Armagh, Ireland. The toad in the coat of arms is representative of the municipality’s history, referring to the toad (crapaud in French) infestation of 1873. The toad infestation of 1873 gave rise to the name La Crapaudière, a mountain in the area that was particularly affected by the toad invasion. Finally the shamrocks symbolizes the Irish roots of Saint-Malachy’s pioneers.
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Wikipedia