Tuesday, April 28, 2015

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

 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..

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your incredible generosity in sharing your travels truly brings joy to me thank you jan

Joyful said...

Such a beautiful post of this sacred place and such beautiful photos too. I'm glad you posted historical information because though I'd heard of this church I had not realized it was so close to Quebec City and sadly I did not make it there. Perhaps I will get another chance. Hugs. xx

Amy at love made my home said...

It is such an interesting building and your post was too, just the right note of history and pictures and telling us about your visit. I hope that your next travels will be safe and good and that your visit to the cathedral has set you up well for that. xx

Julie said...

Such magnificence. The serenity of the place emits from your post in the wonderful pictures.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful experience.

Moms Musings said...

Thank you for the history and pictures of St. Anne's. I had been there in 1970, and you brought back some of my memories.
I'm also glad to see that someone else has a backlog of books on her Kindle.

Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe said...

Magnificent architecture, but I have to admit that I like the small memorial chapel better. Simple things suit me best.

I loved The Roosevelts also. There is no one better than Ken Burns in making documentaries. Don't you love PBS?

Glorious spring is here, and life seems so much brighter.

Jeanne said...

What an awesome trip and project. Your shots are all amazing and will definitely be looking forward to seeing more about this. You are an amazing lady!

Julia said...

Oh wow Vicki!, You did such a great documentary of this amazing place, The Basilica Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre. Your photos are so beautiful and you have a real talent for showing the beauty and history of this place.

My mom went to Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre on pilgrimage with a tour bus several times and she had such devotions to Ste Anne, the grandmother of Jesus but she never described the beauty like you did.

The wall of crutches is like the one at the St Joseph Oratory in Montreal. I was there about 10 years ago. You make me want to go on a pilgrimage to Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre.

I'm looking forward to the next ssurprise.
Thanks for this.
Hugs,
JB

Julia said...

Vicki, I got go taken in by your beautiful adventure that I forgot to mention how I'm anticipating hearing from Josephine and her children receiving their much anticipated gifts. I was about to comment but my daughter Skyped me and we talked for so long.
I'll be praying for sure.
Thanks
Hugs,
Julia

Shirley said...

Good Morning Vicki, You always make me feel as though I am traveling with you on your trips. I have enjoyed reading your blog and catching up with you. The beautiful scenery and so many places that you would love to set and watch the world go by with peace and quiet. The churches so beautiful. Take care. Hugs and Prayers from Your Missouri Friend Shirley.

Shirley said...

Just absolutely stunning pictures. It makes you feel as though you are sharing your journey. I am learning so much from your pictures. I always had a dream that I would like to take a train ride through Canada so that I didn't have to worry about driving. I know that won't happen so I will enjoy the travels that you take me on. So much fun. Take care. Hugs and prayers from Your Missouri Friend Shirley

Ariadne said...

What a great blogpost! I love travel logs and a Basilica is always a place I would visit on a trip!AriadnefromGreece!

Sandi said...

Thanks for another lovely visual tour.

Denise said...

Thank you for sharing these beautiful pictures. We only drove by it many years ago on our way to Quebec City and I never went inside. Plus, I have no photos.

@msdeniseh553
Life After Retirement - My Russian Adventure

Anne's Attic - Design said...

Of Vicki I really love traveling with you. The artistry is so beautiful and heart felt in your pictures and thoughts. You really bring it all to life. Thank you dear. Have a beautiful day. Jo

Dorthe said...

Dear Vicki, this must have been so ver fantastic to see, and wander around ,to experience.
I love the old building, and such beautiful photoes from inside ,too. Lovely with all the votive glasses with lights ,and the saints paintings .
So much you have "gathered " I`m sure, also in your heart, and brought home with you !!
Hugs,Dorthe

Tanya said...

I am speechless - girl, your photos of this are absolutely stunning!!!!! And, I'm glad you WERE "factual" - just gorgeous...thank you for this, this morning. I love traveling with you! XOXOXO

Craftymoose Crafts said...

I visited Quebec City many years ago, and enjoyed a visit to this beautiful Basilica. Thanks for sharing your visit so I could relive my memories.

yaya said...

Your photos are gorgeous...what a lovely and inspiring place to visit. All the hopes of those who needed to be healed. I loved your journal quote of all the prayers from the candles. I'll think of that any time I see candles at a church. Enjoy your Spring activities. We're looking forward to warm weather this weekend. I've mowed the yard twice and loved every minute of it! Take care Vicki!

Magpie's Mumblings said...

What an incredible place! I've heard about the basilica of course, but had never seen pictures before. Fascinating to read about and see!

Eugenia Maru http://lulurulitos.blogspot.com said...

Precioso todo, lindo viaje.
Maru

Sue Kosec said...

Ahhhhhhhhhhh ... the buildings, the flowers and the incredible sky!!! Such beauty you are able to capture with that little point and shoot!

Thanks for taking me along.
xo
SuZeQ

suziqu's thread works said...

What an incredible experience that would have been soaking up the spiritual presence of such an amazing bascilica of St. Anne and her healing abilities. I could have stayed and stayed never wanting to leave filling our hearts with the inner peace and warmth.
You are such a fortunate person to have been able to breathe in the beauty of such an amazing place.

Sending love to you Vicki,
Suzy xox

Gracie Saylor said...

Vickie, sometimes it is so easy to focus on what is wrong in and around us we really need to be reminded of or made aware of the opposite as you have done for me in this post. I really enjoyed seeing some of what you saw and learning some of the history of the area as well. Amazing, beauty! Thanks! xx

Summer said...

Such beautiful photos Vicki. what a wonderful place. I love your travels!

Kathy Avery said...

I really love your posts, they are always so beautifully photographed, colour co-ordinated and laid out, well written and such a joy to read.

Has made my day today in cool rainy UK, thank you for sharing your travels again.

Love
Kathy x

Suzan said...

My husband and I need to visit Canada again. We have been to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, but would love to visit again. It's lovely and thank you for sharing!