Saint-Léon-le-Grand is a municipality of the Maskinongé Regional county municipality (MRC de Maskinongé), in Mauricie.

Understand

History

The Catholic parish of Saint-Léon-le-Grand was constituted in 1802. The church was built from 1819 to 1824, and is classified as a heritage building. This church is the oldest in the Catholic diocese of Trois-Rivières. The architects of the church are the brothers Georges-Félix and Joseph Héroux, as well as their master Alexis Milette.

Geography

The main village of Saint-Léon-le-Grand was built at the junction of rue Principale and rue de la Fabrique. The rang des Ambroise path joins rue Principale more or less opposite the church. The heart of the village is on the east bank of the Chacoura River, and to the south of its tributary the Arvisais stream whose mouth is 0.35 km (0.22 mi) at north of the church. The village is 6.4 km (4.0 mi) north of Louiseville; and 4.6 km (2.9 mi) southwest of the village of Saint-Sévère.

Besides the main village, the rest of the population is mainly scattered along the rue Principale which becomes the Grand rang towards the north; along Rang Barthélemy road (west of the Chacoura river and northeast of the course of the Petite rivière du Loup, as well as along the chemin du rang Saint-Charles (route 349) connecting Louiseville (south side) to Saint-Paulin.

The rivière du Loup constitutes the eastern limit of the municipality of Saint-Léon-le-Grand. The few wooded areas are mainly bordering the rivière du Loup and the Chacoura river.

Economy

The economy of Saint-Léon-le-Grand is mainly focused on agriculture. Forestry is a rather weak economic activity.

Get in

The village of Saint-Léon-le-Grand is accessible by road, bicycle, snowmobile and all-terrain vehicles.

By car

• From Montreal (118 km (73 mi), 1 hr 21 min). Take Highway 40 (north shore) eastbound, to Louiseville; take Chemin Caron (northbound); take route 138 (eastbound) and cross the village of Louiseveille; take route 349 (northbound) to the village of Saint-Léon-le-Grand.
• From Quebec City (152 km (94 mi), 1 hr 48 min). Take Highway 40 (westbound), to Yamachiche; take the Pays-Brûlé road (northbound); take the Chemin des Petites-Terres (eastbound); cross the Loup river; take the Chemin de la Rivière-du-Loup; take rue Principale to the village of Saint-Léon-le-Grand.

See

Heritage tour

• 1 Presbytère et église de Saint-Léon-le-Grand (Presbytery and church of Saint-Léon-le-Grand), rue Principale (presbytère). Place of Catholic worship. (updated Nov 2021)

Cope

• 1 Bibliothèque municipale (Municipal Library), 44, rue de la Fabrique, ☏ +1 819-228-3236. 18:00 to 22:00. The inventory of volumes is diversified thanks to exchanges between libraries. The library committee organizes activities, conferences or shows. (updated Nov 2021)
• Patinoire extérieure (Outdoor ice rink) (next to the recreation building), ☏ +1 819-228-9675 (bâtisse des loisirs). (updated Nov 2021)
• 2 Centre communautaire (Community Hall), 186, rang des Ambroise, ☏ +1 819-228-3236, . Park with a gazebo, swings and a community garden. (updated Nov 2021)

Go next

• 1 Yamachiche Municipality bordering Lac Saint-Pierre, Yamachiche has great agricultural and recreational tourism activities (vacationing, swimming, hunting, fishing, boating). Every spring and fall, hundreds of thousands of migratory birds stop off by landing on Lac Saint-Pierre (and its tributaries) and the surrounding land.
• 2 Saint-Sévère A locality with a heritage character and a mainly agricultural vocation. Tourists are particularly drawn to two food processing areas and a clothing and accessories store.
• 3 Saint-Paulin Locality with a diversified economy: agriculture, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as recreational tourism activities.
• 4 Sainte-Angèle-de-Prémont Locality mainly for agriculture, forestry and vacation.
• 5 Sainte-Ursule The main economic activity of the territory is agriculture. The Sainte-Ursule Falls Park on the Maskinongé River is a tourist attraction.
• 6 Louiseville Municipality bordering Lac Saint-Pierre, Louiseville has a great agricultural economy and recreational tourism activities (vacationing, swimming, hunting, fishing, boating). Every spring and fall, hundreds of thousands of migratory birds stop off by landing on Lac Saint-Pierre (and its tributaries) and the surrounding land.

Routes through Saint-Léon-le-Grand

Saint-Didace ← Saint-Alexis-des-Monts ←

N  S

→ Louiseville