Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Quebec. Where Gumbo was, #73

Gumbo was visiting the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-BeauprÉ, a massive church set near the banks of the St. Lawrence River in the Canadian province of Quebec.  Congratulations to GarryRF for being the first to recognize the site, and to PortMoresby who also correctly identified it.  Both emailed their solutions to [email protected].

The Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-BeauprÉ is 30 kilometres (19 mi) east of Quebec City.   St. Anne is believed by the faithful to perform miracles, and the church bearing her name is famous (and credited by the Catholic Church) for curing the sick and disabled.  The church has over a half million pilgrims from around the world visit it annually, especially late in July on the feast of Saint Anne.  St. Anne is the patron saint of Quebec.

One of the builders of the original church in the 17th century suffered from rheumatism and needed crutches; when he finished working on the church, however, he was able to walk unaided.  There are many other stories like this and several pillars near the front entrance are covered with crutches left by people who are said to have been miraculously cured and saved.

Because of the popularity of the shrine, the church building has been enlarged several times to accommodate the pilgrims who visit it.  In 1876, the first basilica opened for worship but was destroyed by fire in 1922.  The present-day basilica, featured in these photos, was built on the site of the prior basilica and completed in 1946.  

When driving by the basilica for first time, my attention was attracted to the massive proportions of the place, which dwarfs the village that surrounds it.  It is 100 m high, 100 m long and 50 m wide.  On my second trip I made sure to stop by and visit it.  It is beautifully constructed, with lovely interior mosaics.  And it is a site of prayer and pilgrimage, as you’ll find out and see if you visit.  The interested reader who wants to learn more about St. Anne and details of the church’s architecture and decorations is referred to the church’s website.

Tomorrow we have a new travel quiz ready for our great crew of travel detectives.