Saint-Blaise-sur-Richelieu, Quebec (Canada) (original) (raw)

The parish of Saint-Blaise was established (canonical erection) on 8 October 1890. The municipality of Saint-Blaise was established on 6 October 1892, composed of the four cadasters of Saint-Valentin, Saint-Jean, St-Cyprien and Sainte-Marguerite-de-Blairfindie (L�Acadie).

On 10 August 1898, the Sainte-Elisabeth parish in Montreal organized a pilgrimage to Saint-Blaise, advertised on 5 august 1898 in "La Patrie".
"Saint Blasius is specifically involved against to cure sore throat. Those wanting to be healed or protected should join priests who would, as approved by the Holy See, apply to their neck two blessed candles and recite the prayer: 'Through the intercession of St. Blasius, bishop and martyr, may the Lord preserve you from sore throat and any other evil [...]'. In this country, where this devotion has been introduced some years ago, a great number of miraculous healing had been recorded. Let us all take advantage of the opportunity and go to St. Blasius' sanctuary to venerate the relics of the great saint and be applied candles blessed in his honor."
"Sore throat" was indeed goiter, whose cause, iodine deficiency, would be elucidated only decades later.
http://www.st-blaise.ca/municipalite/histoire/

The invocation of St. Blasius of Sebaste in case of sore throat is rooted in Jacobus Voragine's Golden Legend, chapter 38.
"There was a woman that had a son dying, in whose throat was a bone of a fish athwart, which estrangled him, and she brought him tofore his feet, praying him that he would make her son whole. And S. Blase put his hand upon him and made his prayer to God that this child, and all they that demanded benefits of health in his name, that they should be holpen and obtain it, and anon he was whole and guerished.
[...]
And anon then the tyrant did do smite off his head, and S. Blase prayed to our Lord tofore his death that whosoever desired his help from the infirmity of the throat, or required aid for any other sickness or infirmity, that he would hear him, and might deserve to be guerished and healed. And there came a voice from heaven to him saying that his petition was granted and should be done as he had prayed."
https://www.christianiconography.info/goldenLegend/blaise.htm
William Caxton's translation, 1483
Ivan Sache, 16 May 2020

The first logo was designed in 1989, when the municipality was still called Saint-Blaise - and would remained so until 1993.
The logo was modernized in 2013 for a better representation of the territory.
The stylized blue "S" represents river Richelieu, which waters the territory of Saint-Blaise-sur-Richelieu.
The stylized green "B" emphasizes the importance of green areas and environmental quality for every-day's life; the wheat spike highlight the significance of agriculture.
The horizontal wavy lines recall furrows and Saint-Blaise-sur-Richelieu's agricultural orientation. Yellow and green evoke maize and cropped areas. The wavy lines also represent the river's waves and the different components of Saint-Blaise-sur-Richelieu's society.
http://www.st-blaise.ca/municipalite/histoire/logo/
Municipal website
Ivan Sache, 16 May 2020