Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré

Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré is the name of a cathedral (and the town by the cathedral) not far from Quebec City. ("Sanctuary-Shrine," its website says. And basilica. So…not a cathedral? I don't know.) We see signs for it every day, and we see the spires of it in the distance when we drive to L'Île d'Orléans or up the river toward Tadoussac. But we kept putting off actually visiting it…because it was so close and easy, I guess. I kept weighing it against other excursions and thinking, "Well, we can go to Sainte-Anne anytime…" Finally when the Fall weather was at its best I thought, "Won't we be sorry if we miss it altogether!" So we packed our obligatory picnic (truly, you have never known such picnickers as us on this trip…it borders on the absurd) and went.

The drive up is so beautiful. All those trees along the hills.

The church itself is really huge. You don't realize how huge till you get closer. It's been around since almost the beginning of the settlement here in Quebec in the 1600's—not this building, but a chapel here. The first one was built in honor of Sainte-Anne, the mother of Mary. (Sainte-Anne is now the patron saint of Quebec.) At some point they acquired a relic of Sainte-Anne (a finger bone, if I recall correctly) and it became a shrine. And then I think the church just kept building bigger buildings to accommodate pilgrims and worshipers. This current iteration isn't all that old. Started in the 1920's sometime after the old one burned in a fire, and not finished till after World War II.

Such pretty stonework outside around the doors and the rose window

A look up at the tree-covered hill from the basilica doors…

…which are really fancy! Cool copper engravings.

People still come here hoping for miracles and healings from various ailments. When you go inside, there are two big pillars covered with racks of crutches, leg braces, walkers—all from people who report being miraculously healed at the basilica. I read somewhere that they still record something like thirty miracles here a year! My kids were very interested in this, wondering if anyone could really be healed just by coming here? I told them I don't know. God certainly does do miracles today. If someone has enough faith and the circumstances are right, I'm sure they could be healed by God. And there are many good people of faith in the Catholic Church. Even if they don't have official priesthood power in the same way I believe our church does…perhaps God rewards their faith. Who knows!

The inside of the church felt hushed and holy and beautiful. I really liked it.

The stone has a sort of rosy, glowing quality to it with the light coming in from outside.

It's the kind of cathedral you learn about in Art History classes—shaped like a cross, you know, with an apse and a transept and a nave.

I love the mosaics on the ceilings

Pretty stained glass

This must be the miraculous statue of Sainte-Anne

A side chapel

There is another chapel downstairs that's really beautiful.

Nice pipe organ

I love the blues and greens in the mosaics on the ceiling. Every design along each rib of the vaulting is different!

I love the starry sky

My favorite thing, though, was these medallions on each pillar of the basement chapel. Each was a little flower, bird, butterfly, fruit, insect—something from nature. Many were made with beautiful gold or shiny, pearlescent pieces of tile. And every single one in the entire room was unique! (I looked at them all! :))

Back outside, it was the most beautiful Fall day. The kids climbed around on pillars and such.

The basilica is pretty impressive on the outside too! I like all those little round chapels sticking out.

Goldie is the most enthusiastic leaf-finder in the family. She is always hunting for pretty ones!

Hairy!

Across from the basilica is a smaller chapel on the spot where the first chapel stood. And up the hill there is a monastery, not in use anymore now.

I don't know why the girls are leaping gracefully toward the chapel

Over there on the wooded hillside, there is a beautiful little pathway with the Stations of the Cross on it, which I only know about from reading the blogs of a few Catholic friends. It's a way to pray and reflect on the last few actions of Jesus' life. Here there are statues for each one, like "Jesus Carries the Cross," "Jesus Falls for the First Time," etc.

Goldie delights in the beautiful trees

I think the basilica looks so much like the Salt Lake Temple from this view. I kept noticing it—not sure what it was. The spires? The light granite-looking stone?