Notre-Dame-des-Anges
Enclaved within the territory of Quebec City, the municipality has a population of 241 and measures only 6 hectares (15 acres) in area, making it the smallest incorporated municipal entity in Canada. With a density of 6,478.5/km (16,779/sq mi) according to Statistics Canada, it is the second densest census subdivision in Canada.
It lacks any governmental structure and has no mayor but rather an "administrator."
History
The land near the Saint-Charles River was first possessed as a fief by the Recollect Friars Minor, who built the Friary of St. Charles there around 1620. The Recollects were expelled by the British in 1629. The seigneury then passed to the Jesuits in late 1629, after the return of the friars to France following the capitulation of Quebec to the Kirk brothers by Champlain on 14 September 1629. The property was returned to the Recollects upon their return to New France in 1670, at which time they dedicated their house to Notre-Dame-des-Anges (Our Lady of the Angels), so named for the first community of the Franciscan Order.
In 1692, it was purchased by Jean-Baptiste de Saint-Vallier, Bishop of Quebec, to found a hospital, which he did the subsequent year. In 1722, it was established as a civil parish and in 1855, the parish municipality was officially founded with the goal of protecting its sole occupant, the Hôpital général de Québec, from taxes.
Geography
The municipality is situated north of downtown Quebec City, enclaved within the borough of La Cité-Limoilou, bounded by avenue Simon-Napoléon-Parent, rue des Commissaires Ouest, and rue Saint-Anselme.
It is entirely occupied by the Hôpital Général de Québec, including the CLSC Basse-Ville–Limoilou–Vanier, and by the various religious buildings associated with the hospital, including an Augustine monastery, the Église de Notre-Dame-des-Anges (the parish church), and a museum. The hospital is surrounded by a cemetery holding, among others, the remains of General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm.
It is one of two enclaves in Quebec City (along with the Wendake Indian reserve) that was not subject to the municipal mergers in 2002. It is also by far the smallest municipality not included in one of Quebec's Regional County Municipalities.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Notre-Dame-des-Anges had a population of 241 living in 0 of its 0 total private dwellings, a change of -24.2% from its 2016 population of 318. With a land area of 0.04 km (0.015 sq mi), it had a population density of 6,025.0/km (15,604.7/sq mi) in 2021.