Sainte Anne de Beaupré Shrine Basilica - Sainte Anne de Beaupré, Québec. It has been credited with many miracles of curing the sick and disabled. It is an important Catholic sanctuary which receives …More
Sainte Anne de Beaupré Shrine Basilica - Sainte Anne de Beaupré, Québec.

It has been credited with many miracles of curing the sick and disabled. It is an important Catholic sanctuary which receives about a half-million pilgrims each year, including the Anna Fusco Pilgrimage from Connecticut.
The basilica in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré was initially a shrine to honour Saint Anne. On March 8, A.D. 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 in the area 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. Many pilgrims came to the shrine hoping to receive a miracle while others like Anne of Austria supported the shrine from their homes.

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 wooded hillside next to it has a memorial chapel and a Way of the Cross, with life-sized Stations of the Cross. Higher up the hill the Convent of the Redemptoristines can be found.

www.sanctuairesainteanne.org/index.php