Sainte-Thècle

Sainte-Thècle is a picturesque and recreational tourism locality in the Middle-Mauricie. It sits at the southeastern limit of the Laurentian Shield, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, in the regional municipality of Mékinac Regional County Municipality (MRC).

Understand
Its economy is based on recreational tourism activities (vacationing, camping, hunting and fishing, mountain biking, snowmobiles, boating, observations of flora and fauna), forestry, agriculture and certain paragovernmental services (education in elementary school, Mékinac family helpers, etc.).

Founded in 1873, Sainte-Thècle is a popular destination for recreational and tourist activities.

Geography
This locality has an area of with a population of 2484. The village of Sainte-Thècle is located at the junction of routes 153 and 352.

The locality of Sainte-Thècle is mainly part of the Batiscania hydrographic basin; the northern part is part of the Saint-Maurice River watershed, via the hydrographic slope of the Mékinac river.

The Rivière des Envies has its source at Lac de la Traverse and is the most important hydrographic basin. Its course crosses rang Saint-Joseph to the southwest to the limit of Saint-Tite; then, its course crosses this last municipality subsequently, Saint-Séverin and Saint-Stanislas. It flows onto the west bank of the Batiscan River in Saint-Stanislas.

The Tawachiche River flows on entirely within the municipality of Lac-aux-Sables, almost the limit of Sainte-Thècle. The northeast zone of Rang Saint-Thomas and Rang Saint-Georges is part of the hydrographic slope of this river.

The Batiscan River flows north to south over starting at lac Édouard in Mauricie. It drains into the St. Lawrence River at Batiscan. A short segment of the course of this river turns out to be the eastern limit of the municipality of Sainte-Thècle.

The Pierre-Paul river takes its source at Pierre-Paul Lake of Saint-Tite. Its course on describes a large Z by crossing a mainly agricultural territory (a forest part at the beginning of the route) of Saint-Tite, Sainte-Thècle and Saint-Adelphe. In Sainte-Thècle, its course crosses the Saint-Thomas and Saint-Georges ranges. It flows into the Batiscan River near the village of Saint-Adelphe.

History
Founded in 1873, the municipality has a great agricultural, forestry and religious history. The Catholic Church of Sainte-Thècle was erected from 1903 to 1905. The Stations of the Cross in the sacristy were made in 1907 and 1908. The great organ of the church was acquired in 1914. The interior finish of the church was carried out in 1932 under the aegis of the famous painter Louis-Édouard Monty. The legendary cement lion was erected on a plinth on the northeast side of the church by the priest Maxime Masson in 1938. On August 3, 1938, a hurricane knocked down the two bell towers of the church of Sainte-Thècle. Several buildings and houses were damaged. The 52-year-old parish priest Maxime Masson ended on July 1, 1955; according to the presbytery register, the latter baptized 2497 children between 1903 and 1955. The high altar was reconstructed in 1987 in the choir of the church.

Get in
The territory of Sainte-Thècle is accessible by road vehicle, ATV or snowmobile.

By car

 * From Montreal (. Time: 2 hr 10 min. Take Autoroute 40 eastbound to Trois-Rivières; Highway 55 North, to the Saint-Maurice River, Route 153 North to the village of Sainte-Thècle.
 * From Quebec City. (. Time: 1 hr 35 min. Take highway 40 westbound to Grondines then take route 363 to Lac-aux-Sables then route 153 North to the village of Sainte-Thècle.
 * From Trois-Rivières. (. Time: 55 min. Take highway 55 north to the Saint-Maurice river then take route 153 north to the village of Sainte-Thècle.

The Quad trail (Quad trail) passes through the forest north of Sainte-Thècle.
 * Trails

Cope
Note: The municipality has prohibited access to the Lac-des-Chicots landing stage since the summer of 2016 due to the appearance of Eurasian watermilfoil, an invasive exotic plant. This measure aims to avoid contamination of other lakes.