Saint-Séverin, also known as St-Séverin-de-Proulxville or simply Proulxville, is a parish municipality nestled in the Mékinac Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada. This quaint town, located in the administrative region of Mauricie and the Batiscanie watershed, has a rich history and a vibrant community.
The town of Saint-Séverin was named in honour of the vicar-general Louis Séverin Rheault and abbot Séverin of Saint-Maurice-en-Valais. The alternative name, Proulxville, is a tribute to Father Prudent Proulx (1853-1924), the first parish priest from 1889 to 1918.
Historically, the economy of Saint-Séverin was primarily based on agriculture. Until the mid-20th century, farmers played a significant role in supplying lumber camps of the Middle and Upper Mauricie with men, horses, carriages, meat, flour, fodder, and household items. The presence of two flour mills upstream of the village significantly contributed to the regional economy.
The main street of Saint-Séverin is "Boulevard Saint-Louis", a continuation of the "Côte Saint-Louis" path that crosses the municipality from north to south, starting from the "Rivière des Envies". The "Côte Saint-Louis" path ends at the intersection of Route 352 in Saint-Stanislas, about 800 meters south of the discharge of "rivière des Envies".
The Covered Bridge, formerly known as "Bordeleau Bridge", spans the "Rivière des Envies", marking the boundary of Saint-Tite, Hérouxville, and Saint-Séverin. The first bridge was built in 1875 and was rebuilt in 1932 with a roof. This bridge is located on the Dessureault road connecting to the Grand Rang Saint-Tite in the hamlet of Cossetteville.
The "Rivière des Envies" and its tributary, the "Rivière à la tortue" (Turtle River), are two significant rivers that have shaped the geography of the Saint-Séverin parish.
The parish of Saint-Séverin was founded in 1889, detached from the parishes of Saint-Tite and Saint-Stanislas. The first resident priest arrived that year, and the land for the construction of the church and rectory was purchased the following year. The current church of Saint-Séverin was built in 1895-1897 by the parishioners, with the stone quarried in Saint-Séverin itself.
The canonical erection of the parish preceded the civil erection, as per the conventions of the time. Prior to 1889, the territory was inhabited and experienced intensive clearing. The pioneers enjoyed the services of religion at the village of Saint-Stanislas or Saint-Tite. However, the remoteness made it difficult to practice faith and access to shops and public services in Saint-Tite or Saint-Stanislas. By 1873, the sector's pioneers made several representations to the Bishop of Trois-Rivières requesting their own parish.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Saint-Séverin had a population of 812 living in 365 of its 396 total private dwellings, a change of -4% from its 2016 population of 846. With a land area of 61.65 km2 (23.80 sq mi), it had a population density of 13.2/km2 (34.1/sq mi) in 2021. The mother tongue of the population is 100% French.
A railroad section was built to link Saint-Stanislas and Hérouxville, starting at the Transcontinental stood (east side of Batiscan River) in front of the village of Saint-Stanislas, crossing the river on an iron bridge, then roaming the southern part of the municipality of Saint-Séverin, and reaching the discharge of Lac-à-la-Tortue (located in Hérouxville).
The "Rivière des Envies" and the "Rivière à la Tortue" (Turtle River) are two significant rivers in Saint-Séverin. The "Rivière des Envies" makes a long curve before emptying in the fall at the former two mills: sawmill and floormill. The "Rivière à la Tortue" (Turtle River) begins at the outlet of lac-à-la-Tortue (Turtle Lake) (Hérouxville sector), runs north-east crossing the "Chemin de la Grande Ligne" (Great line road) and "Chemin (road) Saint-Pierre".
