Saint-Calixte

Saint-Calixte is a municipality in Quebec, located in the Montcalm Regional County Municipality (MRC) in the Lanaudière region. Nestled in the Laurentian Mountains, its main waterway is the Beauport River. Founded on July 1, 1855, it is named in honour of Pope Callixtus I.

From Lac de la Crosse, the Beauport River flows through the municipality from north to south. Lac Cristal, located northwest of the village, empties into the Beauport River in the northern part of the municipality. The Rivière de l'Achigan runs along the southwestern boundary of the municipality towards the southeast. From its source in the southeast of the municipality, the Petite Rivière flows southeast.

The territory of Saint-Calixte originated from the division of part of the parish of Saint-Lin. In 1855, the municipality of Kilkenny Township was established. This toponymy is thought to derive from the fact that the first inhabitants of Saint-Calixte were of Irish origin. In 1877, the post office opened under the name Saint-Calixte-de-Kilkenny. The municipality received its current name in 1954.

Designed by architect Adolphe Lévesque, the stone church, with its Gothic interior, was inaugurated in 1885. The first parish priest of Saint-Calixte was Louis-Joseph-Isaac Martel, from 1853 to 1855, preceded by Jean-Romuald Paré, a missionary, from 1851 to 1853. The current parish priest is Wilson Ramirez-Angel. Raymond Gravel served as parish priest in Saint-Calixte from 1994 to 1997 and is known for his involvement with the police and firefighters.

The coat of arms of the municipality of Saint-Calixte was created in the 1960s by the Canadian College of Heraldry. The motto of this municipality is Firmamentum est Dominus timentibus eum, which means: "God is a support to those who fear Him."

In 1994, the Beaulac sector, which was part of the municipality of Saint-Calixte, was annexed to the municipality of Chertsey.

Founded in 1997, the Montcalm Police Department was abolished in 2001, and the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) replaced it in the territory.