In Quebec, there are 10 municipalities displaying the term Saint-Jean in their name. Do they all refer to Jean Baptiste, patron saint of French Canadians? Short answer: not always. For example, the towns of Rivière-Saint-Jean in Côte-Nord and Saint-Jean-de-l’Île-d’Orléans in the Capitale-Nationale region are indeed named in honor of the Jean renowned for having baptized Christ. However, you may be surprised to learn that the Montérégie village of Saint-Jean-Baptiste owes its name to the 17th century lord Jean-Baptiste Hertel.

Located in the Saint-Jean-Baptiste district, it is one of the oldest streets in Quebec. Today, Rue Saint-Jean is a 1.8 km long commercial artery bringing together restaurants, small markets, artisans and local products. This street, woven into the historic fabric of Quebec City, is named in honor of Jean Bourdon, a 17th-century surveyor to whom we owe the original layout of Rue Saint-Jean. Going down the street towards the river, it is possible to observe the Porte Saint-Jean, which recalls the ancient fortifications of the capital. In Quebec, there is a Saint-Jean street in approximately one in three municipalities.

With a fresh water surface area of ​​nearly 1000 km⁠2, Lake Saint-Jean ranks third among the great lakes of Quebec. However, it can boast of being the largest of the Saint-Jean lakes, among the ten found in the province. Before the arrival of French settlers, the Innu gathered around the banks to celebrate the coming of summer. This lake, formerly known under the Innu name of Pekuakami, today welcomes thousands of campers and swimmers. In 1652, Father Jean de Quen became the first European to reach the lake, which he renamed to honor his patron saint.

Nineteen parishes, eight islands, three bridges and a military base: Quebec has 150 sites and buildings whose name contains Saint-Jean, according to the Commission de toponymie du Québec. There is even a dam: in the MRC du Fjord-du-Saguenay is the small hydroelectric power station of L’Anse-Saint-Jean. Built in 1957 on the banks of the Saint John River, it produces 450 kWh, the equivalent of the energy needed to power a hair dryer for 12.5 consecutive days. Without forgetting the heritage site of the Église-de-Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal, made up of around twenty buildings in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough which formed the former village of Saint-Jean-Baptiste at the beginning of the 20th century.