Denomination: CATHOLIC |
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Denomination: CATHOLIC |
Photo: D. Stiebeling |
Photo: D. Stiebeling |
he Basilica and all that it represents is not just one tourist attraction among others; it is a place of worship, of the Faith and a meeting place for the Church.
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Photo: D. Stiebeling |
n inscription on a commemorative plaque, set up by the Historical Monuments Commission a few feet away from the wall separating the square from the street, reads: "Here stood the first church of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré built in 1658."
On March 13, 1658, Reverend Guillaume Vignal, acting on behalf of Sir Thubières de Queylus, Sulpician and parish priest of Quebec, "blessed the site of the Petit-Cap church." Governor M. d'Ailleboust is recorded in the Jesuit Journal to have "laid the first stone." |
he present church was built to replace the old Basilica that was destroyed by fire on March 29, 1922. A committee of architects was
promptly organized to see to the construction of the new Basilica. The two chief architects were Maxime Roisin of Paris, France, and Louis-N. Audet of Sherbrooke, Quebec.
Photo: D. Stiebeling |
Lateral view Photo: D. Stiebeling |
Architectural detail Photo: D. Stiebeling |
s in traditional church designs, the general plan of the Basilica is in the shape of a Latin cross, with the transept forming the arms. In Louis-N. Audet's own words, "it is a church in neo-Romanesque style." That is, although it was built using modern methods of construction, it was decorated in the traditional manner of Romanesque cathedrals. The church is supported by a steel framework and foundations embedded in solid rock 12 to 15 feet below ground level. The latter were necessary to support the enormous mass of the structure made of white granite from Saint
Sébastien in Beauce. The architectural decoration is based on typical Romanesque lines, with the round arch appearing
everywhere on the exterior as well in the interior. One should bear in mind, however, that in the present structure, a technically perfect arrangement of stone blocks to counter-balance the arches, vaults, walls, and buttresses was not vital to holding the building up as was the case with the ancient Romanesque cathedrals. Here, the building is held together by a firm steel framework
wrapped in stone.
he entire façade is made up of a rectangle of 160 feet by 300 feet. Three vertical and three horizontal zones give a sense of balance and harmony to the negative and positive spaces in the façade. As Father J.T. Nadeau wrote in the Annals of 1923: "The façade echoes the nave and the two towers which cover the four aisles. Below, the three portals and the gallery surmounted by the large rose window matched with the two long, narrow openings in the towers; higher still, an arcade alleviates the massiveness of the towers and brings out the inclines of the gable, and, last but not least, the bellfries and the spires" (ABS, 1923, p.203).
Photo: D. Stiebeling |
n 1931, work on the Basilica stopped just as construction of the base of the spires began. These spires were completed finally between March and October 1962 by Côté & Dionne Co. of Quebec, with Carignan and Royer as the engineers. With the crosses, the building now reaches to a height of 300 feet. The spires are supported by the towers:
"At the height of the vast gable, the towers, with their Romanesque corner turrets, are pierced by twin-splayed windows flanked by slender shafts which frame the gilt statue... Above the bellfries, crowned by four gables pierced with oculi, the octagonal spires will soar" (J.T. Nadeau, priest, ASBA, 1923, p.204). |
Façade Photo: D. Stiebeling |
Tympanum Photo: D. Stiebeling |
Frieze of the pilgrims Photo: D. Stiebeling |
he church façade is pierced with three receding arched portals with numerous volutes and deep alcoves adorned with shafts which support the sculptured archivolts that also recede. The three portals are linked together by the frieze of the pilgrims and the central portal is decorated with a tympanum representing Saint Ann in prayer. The entire sculptural ensemble was designed by André Vermare between 1925 and 1926. However, the overall arrangement of the scene was considerably altered during the execution of the frieze by Louis Parent of "La Maîtrise d'Art de Montréal" with the help of Wilfrid Richard.
The praying figure of Saint Ann in the tympanum is flanked by four angels while at her feet are supplicants who had come to ask for help from the extraordinary miracle-worker. The frieze is a low-relief sculptural work inspired by history as well as Canadian life. The south part, beginning from the side of the river, depicts teachers, Canadian families, hospitals, farm life, evangelization of the Natives by the Jesuits, explorers, Bishop de Laval and Sir de Tracy. The north part, beginning from the side of the hill, depicts a procession composed of people from different walks of life who all come to pray to Saint Ann: a construction worker at the Basilica, its chief architect, Louis-N. Audet, members of the clergy, Christian women, soldiers, sailors and the Bishop who leads the procession. The procession stops beside a boat from which seamen are disembarking to thank Saint Ann for her protection from great danger on the high seas. The scene next to the central tympanum represents the proclamation by Pope Leon XIII of the decree elevating the church of Saint Ann to the status of a Basilica. In the background is the façade of the old Basilica. A magnificent oak tree links the scenes on both sides to the tympanum.
ary, the Blessed VirginSaint Ann's daughter and the mother of Jesus, holding Jesus in her arms, is represented in her role as the Mother of God. The dove in the Child's hands that is supposed to be a wooden toy made for him by Saint Joseph was the idea of the artist Brunet. |
Mary, the Blessed Virgin Photo: D. Stiebeling |
Saint Joseph Photo: D. Stiebeling |
aint JosephBrunet wanted Saint Joseph to appear young, vigorous and full of joy. As a carpenter, the saint holds a tool and a piece of wood, which, judging from the shavings at his feet, he has just planed. |
 Text: Samuel Baillargeon, C.Ss.R., Your Visit
to the Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Charrier et Dugal ltée, 1965English translation: Gabriel Bergeron |
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