The Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, located a few kilometers from Quebec City, is one of Canada’s most important Catholic shrines and a major pilgrimage destination since the 17th century. Its origins date back to 1658, when Breton sailors, saved from a storm after praying to Saint Anne—the mother of the Virgin Mary—vowed to build a chapel in her honor. Reports of miraculous healings soon followed, strengthening the sanctuary’s reputation. Over the centuries, several churches were built on the site until the present basilica, begun in 1923 after a devastating fire, was officially consecrated in 1976. The shrine has been designated a national sanctuary by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and houses significant relics of Saint Anne.
The current basilica, designed in Neo-Romanesque style with Gothic proportions, stands out for its twin towers, vast nave, and impressive mosaics and stained glass. Among its most venerated elements is the so-called “miraculous statue” of Saint Anne, associated with numerous testimonies of favors received. The Chapel of the Great Relic preserves a reliquary containing a fragment of Saint Anne’s forearm bone, donated by Pope John XXIII in 1960. The crypt, which includes the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception and the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, completes a monumental complex where art, devotion, and history converge. Each year on July 26, the feast of Saint Anne, thousands of pilgrims gather at what remains the spiritual heart of Catholic Quebec.
- Address
10018 Ave Royale, Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Quebec G0A 3C0, Canada - Web
https://sanctuairesainteanne.org/ - Visiting Hours
From Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 16:00, Saturday from 9:00 to 17:00, Sunday from 7:30 to 18:00 h. - What to see
Relics of St Anne
