According to a local legend, one of the five national shrines of Canada, Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, was built by a lame architect. After the construction, his crutches were left near the Catholic temple. As soon as the construction was finished, the man miraculously recovered and went home to praise Saint Anna and bring good news about the wonders of the new church. Whether the local legend is true or false, no one knows for sure, but since the time when the sacred Basilica opened its doors for parishioners, believers from all over the world have strived to this place, and piles of abandoned canes and crutches, which were left there as a result of miraculous healing, have been increasing year after year.
The history of the miraculous temple, which is located just several kilometers away from Quebec, started back in 1658 when a generous lord Étienne de Lessard gifted the Catholic church two acres of land to build a small chapel in honor of Saint Anna. That was the time when miracles, which are now subjects of legends, have started to happen. It is known that even the Queen of France and wife of Louis XIII – Anna of Austria - favored this chapel, even from a distance. The number of pilgrims from all over the world was increasing exponentially. Soon, there was a need to build a more spacious church on the spot of a modest chapel to accommodate all the parishioners who wanted to pray to the miraculous statue of Saint Anna. This is how the first basilica appeared in the vicinity of Quebec, on the place of the modern temple of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. Unfortunately, the amazing monument of temple architecture of the XIX century was damaged by a severe fire in 1922. The majestic construction, which now can be seen by modern travelers, was built four years after. However, interior works in the basilica were finished only in 1946; after that, the world saw the true masterpieces of an incredible sculptor Joseph-Emile Brunet: stone statues of Saint Anna and other saints, 52 biblical stories, and 14 images of Christ carrying the Cross.