Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré () is a town in La Côte-de-Beaupré Regional County Municipality,

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada, along the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...

, north-east of

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

. The population was 2,803 according to the

Canada 2006 Census The 2006 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The following census was the 2011 census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897. This count was lower ...

. Major religious landmarks, the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré and the Convent of the Redemptoristines, are located in the town. The basilica continues to attract pilgrims. Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré stands in a rolling agricultural country, with the foothills of the Laurentian Mountains in the background. The first church was built by sailors, seeking protection against shipwrecks off Ile-Oeuf on their way upriver to Quebec City. Saint Anne is the patron saint of sailors.

History

Breton sailors originally established a shrine there dedicated to Saint Anne. The Sainte-Anne Parish was founded in 1657, which was also called Sainte-Anne-du-Petit-Cap (used until early 19th century) and Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré (which was first used in 1742). Its first chapel was built in 1658. In July 1845, the Parish Municipality of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré was formed, abolished in 1847, and reestablished in 1855. But it was dissolved again in May 1906, when the Village Municipality of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré was created (effectively the parish municipality was re-incorporated as a village). In 1920, a new parish municipality was founded by ceding from the village municipality. In 1973, the parish municipality and village municipality merged again to form the City (''ville'') of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. Mother tongue (2021): * English as first language: 0.9% * French as first language: 97.7% * English and French as first language: 0.5% * Other as first language: 0.9%

Local government

List of former mayors: * Huguette Chevalier (...–2005) * Jean-Luc Fortin (2005–2017) * Jacques Bouchard (2017–present)

Attractions

The Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré is a major

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

place of

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

. It has a copy of

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6March 147518February 1564), known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was inspir ...

's statue, the '' Pietà'' (the original is in the St. Peter's Basilica in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

). The basilica is known as a place of miracles. One of the builders of the original church, Louis Guimont, helped build the church despite having severe scoliosis and needing the aid of a crutch. When the church was complete, he was able to walk independently. Many subsequent visitors who have prayed at the church have left their canes, crutches and walking aids behind as testament to their healing. The main wall at the entry into the basilica is completely covered with crutches. In addition to the basilica, the town contains numerous religious edifices, the chief being the ''Scala Santa'', built in imitation of the Holy Stairs in

. The town is home of the Cyclorama of Jerusalem, a circular painting depicting the city of Jerusalem at the time of the death of Jesus. Canyon Sainte-Anne, lying 6 km east of the town, is a steep walled gorge. A waterfall lies within the canyon. The canyon is accessible to visitors via footpaths and foot bridges. File:Ste Anne de Beaupré, Québec.jpg, Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré File:Scala Santa, Sainte-Anne, Québec.jpg, Scala Santa File:Canyon Sainte-Anne, la chute.jpeg, Sainte-Anne Falls in Canyon Sainte-Anne File:Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré - QC - Cyclorama de Jerusalem.jpg, Cyclorama of Jerusalem

Ecology

Researchers have studied the intertidal marshes of the St. Lawrence

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...

at Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre Cities and towns in Quebec Incorporated places in Capitale-Nationale