Basilique Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré

While traveling I’m Canada we made the trip to this wonderful basilica after getting some feedback from some of our friends on Unilocal.When we saw this basilica we automatically fell in love with it.
The basilica itself is gorgeous and we loved entering the facility and spending some time praying. Since my wife is pregnant and we are about to have a child, it was amazing to here that St. Anne is the patron saint of mothers.
Overall, this basilica is incredible and we loved the few hours we spent here. We enjoyed seeing the other structures on the grounds and we hope to travel back once we have our child.

What an impressive sight. Our local guide explained how the original chapel was burned to the ground, leaving only the gold statue, where if you look up, the gold statue is atop of the church façade.
We viewed as much of the main floor, though mass was in attendance and we view the lower levels, this landmark is a must see.

This is a spectacular basilica. Beautiful mosaics cover the insides from the floors to the ceiling. It is huge so you are just in awe when you walk in. We first went into the crypt which is also beautiful and then walked upstairs into the cathedral and were just blown away by its enormity. It is like one of the big cathedrals in Europe. There are also beautiful copper reliefs on the doors and awesome stain glass windows. This place is well worth seeing if you can make a trek in this area.
I’m not a religious person, but I can’t help thinking about a family I saw there praying so fervently. There was mom and dad and four young children all under 8 or nine years old, all on there on there knees praying so desperately. You could tell that they had been there a while and would be there long after we would leave. This is a church that many make a pilgrimage to. There are 2 columns of crutches at the front of the cathedral where people believe they have been healed and have left them behind. I hope this family finds what they are praying for.

Very impressive and worth a drive from Quebec City. Pamphlets available in multiple languages describing key sites inside and outside.

Wow so amazing a rich history my wife and I sat just enjoying the architecture. We started at the museum first and would recommend to do so to learn the history. It is so beautiful inside and moving experience to be here a definite must see especially if you are in the area.

We visited this beautiful Basilica in Saint Anne De Beaupre as part of a tour group. Next time, we are coming here on our own. One of the disadvantages of being a part of a tour group is that there are time restrictions. We did not have enough time to explore and admire this beautiful Church.
This is the oldest pilgrimage site in North America. Many folks from all over the world visit here to pray. We were able to see only half of what we wanted to see because of the time constraints.
The Basilica is marvelously constructed. The architecture of both the exterior and interior of the Church is impressive. The sculptures, paintings, and statues were wonderful to view and learn about. Wish we could have explored the Chapels, Way of the Cross, and the Scala Santa.
Hopefully, we will have another opportunity to visit Basilique Sainte-​Anne-​de-​Beaupre. It is a short drive from Quebec City, Canada.

We came here as part of a tour group. It was a beautiful, sunny day, the church is magnificent in size and beauty. We walked around in and out and took some beautiful pictures. Very peaceful and beautiful, worth the stop to view. We also took a tour of the Cyclorama, which is the world’s largest panorama of Jerusalem. It was very interesting, please pay the $ 2. for the binoculars, it changes everything! I believe the fee was about $ 10. 00, worth the time and money.

A very impressive structure and a beautiful location too.
What sticks in my mind is the big wall of crutches, apparently left behind by those who have been healed.

Le catholicisme n’est pas mort au Québec, du moins, Sainte-​Anne-​de-​Beaupré représente un de ses plus solides bastions! Je suis vraiment étonné du nombre d’églises qui durent être reconstruites suite à des incendies. Il en est de même pour l’actuelle basilique, dont l’édification n’a débuté qu’en 1923, après que celle de 1872 ait été détruite par le feu en 1922, et que la première en pierre, de 1676, n’ait succombé à sa décrépitude en 1876. Mais cela né refroidit en rien l’ardeur des fervents catholiques et pèlerins. Et je les comprends un tantinet: sans être un fana de monuments religieux, comme je le dis souvent, j’aime reconnaître la beauté architecturale d’un édifice, quelle qu’en soit sa confession, et c’est d’autant plus vrai quand il a des proportions gothiques…
Première impression: la grand-​mère de Jésus né manquera jamais de déco. Les ornements intérieurs de la basilique valent à eux-​seul le coup d’œil. Ce sont néanmoins les vitraux qui m’ont le plus marqué; ils transcendent la lumière du Soleil en des halos bleuâtres, couleur idéale pour le recueillement. À ce propos, vous en verrez à la pelletée, du monde se recueillir… C’est assez spectaculaire. Un vrai panthéon où le fidèle implore le Saint le plus disposé à ses requêtes. Cela dit, la discrétion est de mise, puisqu’il n’est pas rare d’y entendre des sanglots. Malgré tout, tourisme de masse obligeant, le climat peut rapidement devenir impersonnel, surtout lorsqu’un guide se met à renseigner son groupe, juste à côté d’un croyant, en train de prier, les larmes aux yeux.
En-​dessous de la basilique se trouve la Chapelle de l’Immaculée, dédiée à Marie. L’on se croirait dans l’espace, avec les voûtes et peintures stellaires… D’autres évoquent plutôt la conversion crève-​cœur des Amérindiens par les Jésuites…
Bref, on peut facilement passer la journée sur le site, qui comprend plusieurs autres attractions religieuses.

Wow. This is a really impressive basilica. Pilgrims abound, praying for miracles, cures, and blessings. If you’re interested in women’s spirituality, this is a shrine to the Goddess. Nice energy.

En soi, la cathédrale est spectaculaire. Elle est majestueuse et s’impose devant nous de par son architecture complexe et détaillée. Même si on n’est pas très fervent de tout ce qui est religion catholique, on né peut qu’apprécier un tel travail, sachant que sa confection remonte à bien longtemps! Lorsqu’on rentre à l’intérieur, on n’est pas surpris d’y voir une chambre aussi somptueuse que le reste. De l’or partout des plafonds si haut qu’on a du mal à y discerner tous les détails.
Si on descend au sous-​sol, on y trouve une autre chambre, un peu plus petite, plus intime, ainsi qu’une pièce où l’on peut allumer un cierge pour faire une prière. La pièce est tellement remplie de toutes ces bougies qu’il y fait une chaleur à crever… On se sent vite accabler par les prières des autres.
Une chose qui m’a fait rire, on entend sans cesse l’enregistrement d’un mec qui dit le «Je vous salue Marie» dans plusieurs langues, et on n’a vraiment l’impression que ça lui tentait pas du tout cette journée-​là d’enregistrer ça.

I have visited A LOT of churches around the world but this one stands out as spectacular! The mosaic work is stunning– it depicts elements from nature as well scenes from the life of St Anne.
We visited on July 26^th and their were many pilgrims there celebrating the life of St Anne.

I’m not a religious person, however I do enjoy visiting and photographing iconic places. I would not be too quick to put this church in the league with those I’ve been to in France. It is beautiful though.
The fountain outside is very nice and makes for a nice picture when composed with the church. The inside was nice, with extensive tile everywhere. I was glad to be able to bring in a tripod which I’m always careful to keep out of everyone else way.
Take your time to go through every nook and corner.

This complex is a worthwhile day trip from Quebec and the trip a welcome respite from all of the previous days walking.
We chose to go on Sunday and attend noon mass. Since I don’t speak French very well, the mass was a bit incomprehensible to me which is just as well since I am told by my bi-​lingual partner that the priest kept repeating himself during the homily. One final comment on the mass the organist was quite good. The cantor, on the other hand had some pitch issues, I would have expected much better.
Now on to the good stuff…
1. The building and grounds are amazing.
2. Outdoor, bronze, life sized stations of the cross
3. The «Scala Santa» or «Holy Stairs»
4. The cyclorama. For those who are not aware, cycloramas were the 19^th century equivalent of going to the movies. I always find it interesting to go see them and make the attempt see things as previous visitors may experienced them. They are a nice connection to the past albeit perhaps some modern audience may find them a bit too touristy.

A gorgeous Basilica. The same day you see the Parc de la Chute-​Montmorency, you should also visit the Shrine Of Sainte-​Anne-​de-​Beaupré.
Inside the Basilica is just breathtaking, like something you’d expect to see in Paris. The entrance tells the church’s theme: nature. One side is a mosaic of everything representing life (baptism, water) and the other side represents death (stars.) Animals and all the zodiac signs are in between.
Candles line the back and sides of the church for you to light and pray next to.
People come to pray for their aches to go away, their broken bones to heel, their loved one’s health to return. Two massive columns hold crutches, canes and cast of those cured and healed, as well as wallet-​sized photos.
Take a trip downstairs to see the lower church; smaller and winter-​themed. The walls are blue the ceilings painted with snowflakes.
There is also a gift shop outside of the church.

One word: BEAUTIFUL!
Québec’s jewel where Catholics come for pilgrimage. Our tour bus came here briefly where we unexpectedly witness Mass. Since the Chapel was currently being renovated Mass was held at the Basilica. The priest lead Mass entirely in French as Québec providence is predominately French influence. The Café inside Shrine of Sainte-​Anne-​de-​Beaupré has ample seating which all the bake goods of muffins, donuts etc. were bought elsewhere prepackaged as I saw an employee opening a fresh box from Kirkland. Two bottle waters is a whopping CAN $ 2.50 each, and one donut, one chocolate muffin is CAN $ 1.50 each totaling a whopping CAN $ 8.00.
Cathedral ceiling with detailed of mosaics, carved stones and stained glass windows which adorns the Shrine of Sainte-​Anne-​de-​Beaupré.
Many of our tour bus were Catholics who desired to be anointed with holy water which to our surprise it were not accessible to the public. In the mist of all of madness in my professional as well as personal life, I was able to finally obtain a moment of inner peace at the Basilica.
The nearby Basilica Inn houses pilgrims and visitors.