History

CITY OF SAINTE-ANNE-DE-BELLEVUE HISTORY

Originally located at the end of the Baie d'Urfé (known today as Pointe Caron), the parish dates back to around 1663.

When Monseigneur de Laval went to the top of the island along with Father Berny, pastor of Lachine and Father Dollier de Casson, vicar general, to mark the boundaries of the Saint-Louis Mission, it included back then the entire area from the tip of the island to Pointe-Claire, Île Perrot, Soulanges, Vaudreuil, and Île aux Tourtes. This mission was led by l'Abbé François d'Urfé (a neighboring municipality was named after him).

The mission lasted from 1677 to 1703 (when the first resident pastor was nominated and the parish registers were opened).

The canonical erection took place on September 20, 1685 under the name of Saint-Louis-du-Bout-de-l'Île.

In the period from 1672-1680, Louis XIV, king of France, ordered this part of the island to be divided up into fiefdoms, one of which was offered to a settler and was given the name of the Bellevue fief.

It is in his memory that the parish took the name of Bellevue.

As for the name of Sainte-Anne, it was given to the city in light of circumstances well worth mentioning.

In the early part of its history, due to the incessant threats from the Iroquois, the mission was forced to withdraw. The Abbé d'Urfé, transferred his registers to Lachine; the mission itself was transported to the top of the rapids, next to the forts of Senneville and l'Île aux Tourtes. It is there in a humble chapel that l'Abbé de Breslay continued the work of his predecessor (Abbé d'Urfé): the missionary apostolate. The number of Iroquois that came to settle near the forts kept growing, and soon the chapel became too small.

A miraculous event helped remedy this situation:

Around 1712, l'Abbé de Breslay, who was returning home from a nightly visit to some sick persons, was stuck in a terrible snow storm. His horse got lost, bolted and finally threw him onto the ice. He had fractured a leg in the fall, and realized that there was no human help in sight. He then vowed to erect a chapel dedicated to Sainte-Anne if he made it out of this misfortune. When he came to, he was happily surprised to find out that that was in his bed, not knowing how he came to be there. Since then, he hurried to make his promise a reality. Not far from the bank, soon rose the first church known as Sainte-Anne.

The municipality of the Village of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue was established on April 18, 1818, and was then incorporated into a city on January 12, 1895 by virtue of Act 58 Victoria Chapter 56. In 1911, a part of the territory was detached from it to become the city of Baie d'Urfé.

During the modern-days, the transformation of this north-western part of the island was greatly accelerated by the establishment of an agricultural school: The Macdonald College (affiliated to the McGill University). This rural institution was established in 1907 and, of course, continues to this day.

Subsequently (in 1917), the Federal Government had a hospital built that would treat the veterans of the two world wars.

The Garden City Press, which prints important trade journals, settled here in 1919. As for the bridge (for cars and pedestrians), its construction dates back to 1924.

In conclusion, the evolution of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue has made giant steps in the way of progress (thanks to the Dorval airport, the four corners of the world are at our doorstep).

The Little Story of the Canal

The first canal and the first lock were dug between 1840 and 1843.

The Government pier, at the bottom of Saint-Pierre Street, was built around 1850 and used by both passenger and cargo boats. 

The current canal and lock were built between 1875 and 1882, parallel to the old ones, with new docks where citizens could secure their boats. 

LIST OF MAYORS

COAT OF ARMS OF THE CITY OF SAINTE-ANNE-DE-BELLEVUE

All the research, design and creation of the CITY OF SAINTE-ANNE-DE-BELLEVUE's coat of arms were done in the offices and workshops of the Canadian College of Arms in Montreal, Canada.

The Shield

Or, a cross vair cantoned by four allerions gules, a quarter overall gules charged three escallop shells Argent.

The Crest

A mural crown or with five crenellated turrets.

SUPPORTERS

Around the shield are two maple branches proper crossed under the shield and bound behind the scroll by a ribbon Gules.

Motto

OMNIA PER LABOREM ET FIDEM
This beautiful sentence translates from Latin to:

ALL THROUGH WORK AND FAITH
It is a phrase that pays tribute to the citizens of past generations and constitutes the motto for those of the present.

Explanation

OR:

Or also known as gold, is used concurrently with silver and steel. It is the symbol of the sun's light, of allegiance, generosity and glory. In engraving, this metal is represented by dots.

CROSS:

The cross was once an instrument of torture consisting of two pieces of wood that intersected, usually, at right angles and upon which slaves and criminals were tied.

Subsequent to our Lord's suffering, the cross became the emblem of Christianity. Ever since the early days of their history, almost all ancient peoples used the cross as an instrument of torture; this custom probably was born from the Orient.

Egyptians and Carthaginians, Persians and Scythians knew it. It is from the Persians that the Greeks probably borrowed it.

In Rome, this form of torture was considered as the most ignominious of deaths, and except for cases of sedition, was only used for slaves and the most loathsome of criminals. The bible's recount of the Passion of the Christ, tells of every detail of his suffering on the cross as practiced by the Romans. Usually, this weapon of torture was erected next to a main road in order to create an intimidation effect. But after having embraced Christianity, Constantine, in honor of Jesus-Christ forbid from then on this kind of torture to criminals.

The artists in the Middle Ages took over this weapon of torture and reproduced it in so many ways.

The heraldists complicated the details of these types of crosses even further, but the symbolism remains the same.

This symbol commemorates Sainte-Anne as the venerable foremother of our Lord.

VAIR:

In the Middle Ages, people used squirrel fur, particularly Siberian squirrel. It was sewn together in alternating cup-shaped pieces of back and stomach fur, resulting in a pattern of grey-blue and grey-white which, when simplified in heraldic drawing and painting, became blue and white in alternating pieces.

CANTONED:

This adjective applies to a cross accompanied by other symbols (in empty areas of the shield's background)

ALLERIONS:

Heraldic name given when more than one eaglet appear on the shield. Ornithology tells us that eagles are blessed, among other qualities, with particularly sharp eye sight. By association of ideas, we can say that that evokes the name of Bellevue. On the other hand, the choice of symbols on this coat of arms have a different origin altogether which we will come back to later on. Only three eaglets are visible, but customarily, the fourth is assumed to be hidden behind the dexter chief.

GULES:

The name (derived from the Arabic ghul) is the heraldic name given to the tincture red. It was used once to represent a red fur neckpiece. It is denoted in engravings by numerous vertical lines, the color being that of blood and fire. It is commonly considered a symbol of courage and force used at the service of just causes.

QUARTER:

A heraldic piece occupying one fourth of the field, and situated (unless otherwise directed) in the top left.

OVERALL:

Said of a piece placed over other symbols or colors.

CHARGED:

Adjective used to indicate that on the quarter's surface other symbols are depicted.

ESCALLOP SHELLS:

These charges (anything borne on a coat of arms) are also known as cockle shells.

In the olden days, pilgrims arriving at Compostelle (Spain) to pray on Saint-Jacques' tomb featured similar shells as a sign of rally.

These symbols along with the eaglets were taken from Monseigneur François de Montmorency de Laval's coat of arms (1623-1708) to commemorate his founding of the Saint-Louis Mission.

The shells placed in a quarter evoke, by association, the name of Jacques-Cartier.

The City of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue's coat of arms also commemorates François-Saturnin Lascaris d'Urfé (1641- 1701), who before coming to Canada, was marquis de Beauzé, a gentleman of St-Sulpice, pastor of Saint-Just et d'Urzèche and Dean of Le Puy.

The fur known as vair (which decorates the surface cross) was borrowed from his arms.

ARGENT:

The color silver. In heraldry, it is used concurrently with gold and sometimes steel. This metal is considered as one of the symbols of purity.

This coat of arms is rigorously exclusive (imperious rules of heraldry) but also commemorates the early history of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.

THE CREST:

Name given to the pieces above the shield to indicate the quality of its user.

MURAL CROWN:

This symbol is used to distinguish the coat of arms of a place as opposed to that of a person.

FIVE TURRETS:

This detail indicates that the shield is that of a city.

CRENELLATED:

This adjective applies to turrets that have crenels.

SUPPORTERS:

The decorative designs that are neither humans (called tenants) or animals (called supports).

MAPLE:

The leaf of this tree is a national emblem.

PROPER:

Of a natural color.

SCROLL:

A drawing of a scroll where the motto is inscribed.