Traveling Gaspese (part 3)-- the Basilica Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre

The Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre is one of the most beautiful and beloved religious shrines in the world.  St. Anne is believed, by the pious, to obtain miracles through her intercession. People from all around the world come to the Basilica seeking miracles. Pillars in the front entrance are covered in crutches from people who are said by the parishioners to have been miraculously cured and saved~

 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 

which receives about a half-million pilgrims each year.

 The peak period of pilgrimage is around July 26,

 the feast of Sainte Anne, 

the patron saint of Quebec. 

The basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre 

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

and to house a miraculous statue 

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, 

Guimond was cured of all his ailments. 

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 

was destroyed in a fire on March 29, 1922. 

 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

here...

 In my next post-- (in just a few days!)--I am taking you to the eclectic little artist town of Baie-Saint-Paul... a lovely little town on the banks of the Saint Lawrence River. You will so enjoy a tour of this beautiful little town known for it's artist colony and quaint little shops and restaurants. On our visits to the Basilica and the town of Baie-Saint-Paul, we continued to stay in Quebec City -- as both these visits were actually little day trips for us.  

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..