Saint-Hyacinthe: History, Market and Gardens

Saint-Hyacinthe offers many reasons to explore the city: historic sites and walking tours, a long-established market, gardens and trails for outdoor activities. The experiences you want to focus on can help shape your choice of accommodation—whether you are especially interested in local history, regional food, or plants and nature.

Experience the city’s history through its buildings and places

The Porte des Anciens-Maires is a memorial honoring Saint-Hyacinthe’s former mayors. It commemorates the centenary of Georges-Casimir Dessaulles’s birth and was inaugurated on September 29, 1927. The Porte is also a public park with picnic tables. It is located at one of the city entrances on the banks of the Yamaska River—a place where a connection to history and a break outdoors come together.

Four signposted historic walking tours lead to buildings and institutions that have shaped the city’s cultural, religious, political and industrial history. You can focus on specific aspects of the city’s past or explore a range of themes. The Centre d’histoire de Saint-Hyacinthe also organizes activities for members and the public to promote historical research.

The Cathédrale Saint-Hyacinthe-le-Confesseur is another notable part of the city’s cultural heritage. It was built in 1880 to plans by architect Adolphe Lévesque. Its features include Romanesque elements, the Casavant organ (Opus 8) and Ozias Leduc’s work “Le Père éternel.” Those interested in architecture, organs or art will find specific details here that help make a visit to the cathedral memorable.

Market and regional food

The 1555 Marché public has been in operation since 1830 and has retained its focus on agri-food products. Seven vendors sell cheese, fruit, sausage, charcuterie, fish, bread and fine pastries. Depending on the season, dozens of producers from nearby and the surrounding region also bring the outdoor area to life. They include vegetable growers, maple syrup producers, beekeepers and artisans. Its variety makes the market a fitting highlight for travelers who want to include regional food and products in their explorations.

Allée du Marché is a pedestrian street in the center of Saint-Hyacinthe. It is lined with shops and restaurants and also leads to the 1555 Marché public. This part of the city offers an opportunity to combine a market visit with a stroll past shops and restaurants.

Gardens, trails and outdoor activity

Jardin Daniel A. Séguin covers 4.5 hectares and features 21 themed gardens. As the garden school of the Institut de technologie agroalimentaire du Québec in Saint-Hyacinthe (ITAQ), it is recognized for having the largest collection of annual plants in Québec. Its educational, cultural and tourist focus makes the garden a worthwhile visit if plants and garden design are among your travel interests.

Parc Les Salines has five walking trails, each between 1 and 5 km long. The different trail lengths give you a practical guide for planning your day, letting you take into account how far you want to walk. If you prefer cycling, you can add the Circuit vélo des Vallons de la Yamaska to your itinerary. This signposted road cycling route of the MRC Les Maskoutains is 95 km long and starts in the northern part of Saint-Hyacinthe.

Culture on stage

The Centre des arts Juliette-Lassonde brings together two performance venues: Salle Desjardins has 700 seats, while Cabaret André-H.-Gagnon has a capacity of 310 to 650. If cultural events are among your travel interests, this adds another cultural highlight to the city’s historic sites and walking tours.

For further research on the area, you can also visit the pages for Saint-Liboire and Sainte-Hélène-De-Bagot.

For the broader travel overview: Les Maskoutains.