Sainte Anne de Beaupré — Part 2

Posted byemandmm Leave a comment on Sainte Anne de Beaupré — Part 2
The beautiful basilica of Sainte Anne de Beaupré

Road trip continued! Sainte Anne de Beaupré continued! This place was so gorgeous that we paused at many of the details — mosaics, carvings, paintings, statues, murals and more. Everything in the shrine (see the previous post for the basics) feels life-giving because it’s so artistic and colorful and, most of all, beautifully illuminated.

All of the artwork celebrates creation.

When you enter the shrine, the vestibule welcomes you with mosaics that celebrate creation. The signs of the zodiac and other symbols around the space represent the universe and time as a reminder that God created all of it. And we figured that out without a guidebook! It just screams of God’s love for all creatures.

The end of each of the 260 pews in the basilica has a different carving of one animal and one plant, again, to celebrate God’s creation. They are really charming and couldn’t help but make us smile.

The Immaculate Conception Chapel beneath the main sanctuary features beautiful paintings of the many holy people of New France.

St. Kateri Tekawitha was a Mohawk who lived near Montreal. She is patron of ecology and the environment.
St. Marie of the Incarnation founded the first school for girls in North America. In addition to teaching children of the French settlers, she welcomed Native American girls as well — and learned the languages of four local tribes to help teach them French and communicate with their people. Her life is documented in the books she wrote and some 20,000 letters she sent to friends and family in France about her experiences in the New World. She is a patron against poverty.
The altar of the Immaculate Conception chapel in the vault of the shrine.

Visiting St. Anne de Beaupre is an experience of beauty and hopefulness. We recommend it highly!!

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