located about 20 miles
east of Quebec City,
our visit to this religious shrine
was easily done as a day trip
while we were staying in Quebec City.
This amazing cathedral is an important catholic sanctuary
The peak period of pilgrimage is around July 26,
the feast of Sainte Anne,
the patron saint of Quebec.
was initially a shrine to honor Sainte-Anne.
On March 8, 1658,
a man by the name of Etienne de Lessard
donated two
frontal acres from the West end of his property
to the Catholic Church
so that a chapel could be built.
This chapel eventually became the site
of the modern-day basilica.
It was built for two reasons:
to provide a
place of worship for the new settlers
of St. Anne.
The first reported miracle at the site
happened during the shrine’s
construction.
A man named Louis Guimond
was hired to help build the
shrine even
though he suffered from
rheumatism.
~
After placing three stones upon the shrine’s foundation,
This was followed by other testimonies
of healed people
and the shrine soon grew in
popularity.
~
For hundreds of years,
pilgrims have visited this shrine
hoping to be blessed with a
miracle.
Because of the popularity of the shrine,
the building was enlarged
several times to accommodate
all the pilgrims.
In 1876, the first
basilica opened for worship.
The former basilica
The present-day basilica
was built
on this site of the prior church
in 1926.
Miracles are still believed to be performed at the basilica.
When
entering the church one can see two pillars
filled with racks of
crutches, canes, braces,
and other signs of disabilities.
Every item has
been left by a pilgrim
who reports being healed
at the Basilica.
The main doors of the Basilica
are hand-made of copper
and they present
many scenes
of the life of Jesus.
~
This exceptional work of art
created
by the artist Albert Gilles
was originally hanging on the doors of the
St. Joseph Church in Quebec City in the 1950’s.
~
The three double doors
alone represent
12 months of laborious work.
After the closing of this
church in 2003,
Albert Gille’s masterpiece was given a second chance at
life
when it was transferred to the Basilica
the
same year.
some scenes from inside
the Cathedral~
this collection of candles was housed in one of the
basement sanctuaries,
~
From my journal--
"as we walked down the stairs,
I could feel the heat from the candle lamps,
hundreds of prayers said from the hearts
of those in need"~
The pilgrimage to Beaupre
has not always had the importance
which it has gained
in our time.
~
Only in the last quarter of the nineteenth century
did it attain to the
growth, organization, and fame
which now render it comparable
with the
great pilgrimages
to Lourdes.
across the street from the Basilica
stands the tiny little
Memorial Chapel
The Memorial Chapel
is a souvenir of the third church
which welcomed pilgrims from 1676 to 1876.
~
The chapel was built in 1878
on the foundation of the transept of the
third church
(1676-1876).
~
The material, the decor and the steeple
were
all retrieved from the old church
and incorporated into the construction
of the Memorial Chapel.
~
A rooster weather vane,
a symbol of Peter’s
denial as a follower of Christ,
pivots on top of the steeple.
The
adjacent cemetery
was where parishioners were buried
until 1930.
scenes from inside the chapel
and the
memorial plaque
in this photo--
I'm standing on the front balcony
of the beautiful, tiny
Memorial Chapel.
The Basilica is directly behind me.
looking out from the inside
of the chapel~
Forgive me for being so "historical" in this post.
~
I'm not usually so "factual" when I share photos --
but this is such a special place...
It just didn't seem fitting to say,
"and here are some photos of this pretty church we visited..."
I really wanted to share with you
some of the history relating to this
amazing place.
~
a visit to the
Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre
is truly a destination.
On this trip we were only there
about 2 hours,
but on one of our previous trips,
we were there the entire day.
~
Truly, it is a place
of great spiritual presence
and beauty.
(You can read more about the
Basilica here )
As we continued on journey northward
to the town of
Baie-Saint-Paul,
we passed this beautiful place
and stopped for photos--
(of course)
traveling down the gravel road
brought us to a beautiful restaurant
housed in a home that dates back
to 1840.
You can read about the Auberge Baker
and see photos of the inn and restaurant
After the post of the little artist town... we will pack our bags and truly begin our northward trek to the Gaspe Peninsula. As much as I am enjoying sharing with you all that we did in and around Quebec City---- I cannot wait to share with you the amazing sights from our travels around the Peninsula. I hope you will continue to follow us along on this incredible journey..
A note from me~
Spring is truly and finally here! I am mowing grass, starting to prepare for planting flowers,... I am a happy girl. My winter nesting is over and I am working on some new projects to share with you later this summer. I've just finished watching the Ken Burns documentary of the Roosevelts. I loved every minute of this incredible historical documentary -- so much that I may watch it all again! (I watched it on Amazon Prime). Also, I just finished reading book 2 of the Glassblower series -- "The American Lady" (loved it).
(Book 3 will be out in September.) Honestly, I have so many books, and sample books in my Kindle Que, that I'm quite sure that I won't ever get them all read!
Thank you for your wonderful responses to the travel series posts, I appreciate your comments and emails-- and I am so happy that you want to go along with me on this incredible journey. I am so very excited to be taking you there~
xoxo,
Vicki
ps--soon, very soon, hopefully next week... our packages of love will be arriving in Mombasa and from there they will travel to Kampala, Uganda. The minute I have pictures of the children opening their gifts, I will begin to share them with you. Please pray for the arrival of your gifts for the children..
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