Saint-Vallier, Jean Baptiste de la Croix

Saint-Vallier, Jean Baptiste de la Croix (zhäN bätēst` də lä krwä săN-välyā`), 1653–1727, Roman Catholic bishop of Quebec, b. France. He succeeded François Xavier de Laval in 1688 after serving as his vicar general. Austere and aggressive, he formulated a strict ecclesiastical discipline and came into conflict with the civil governors, especially the comte de Frontenac. Quarrels also arose between Saint-Vallier and Laval with regard to diocesan organization, the seminary, and the new bishop's expenditures. From 1700 to 1713 Saint-Vallier was in France and, as a prisoner, in England. He did much for the people of Quebec, notably founding the Hôpital Général for the poor.