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TEMPORARY EXHIBITION

A new temporary exhibit entitled Les filles de Marguerite pionnières dans l’Ouest (Marguerite’s Daughters Pioneers in the West) recounts the difficult journey of four Grey Nuns to Red River (Winnipeg) in 1844. The exhibit, featuring period illustrations, also recounts the difficult beginnings of the Sisters who founded numerous settlements in Western Canada.

“This year, we are celebrating the 180th anniversary of this very difficult canoe journey, with its many portages. The Sisters showed courage and tenacity. Life was difficult in those days: floods, famine, poorly insulated buildings, epidemics – nothing had spared them. Fortunately, the railroad linked Montreal and Winnipeg in 1877, making travel easier,” explains Louise Girard, Coordinator of the Sanctuary.

“We ourselves learned a great deal from this exhibit, which reveals little-known aspects of the history of the Quebec missionaries who founded Manitoba. The Grey Nuns were very pleased to go and evangelize in the West, the land explored by La Vérendrye, Marguerite d’Youville’s uncle,” adds Abbé Mario Desrosiers, Rector of Sainte-Anne Basilica and Sainte-Marguerite-d’Youville Sanctuary

OCTOBER 16

Liturgical feast of Saint Marguerite d’Youville

The liturgical feast of Saint Marguerite is celebrated on October 16. Each year, we celebrate this feast in a special way: solemn Mass, lecture, recital, Mass at the tomb, visit to the museum, etc. During the month of October, check the “news” section for details of our festivities.

A NEW GROUP

THE FRIENDS OF SAINT MARGUERITE D’YOUVILLE

In 2016, the Sanctuary of Sainte Marguerite d’Youville created an association for people seeking to discover and make known the charism of the saint while participating in her mission and spirituality.

In the name of their faith, members commit to gaining a more profound understanding of these elements in order to better experience and testify to them.

The Friends are also invited to take part in various activities of renewal and contemplation. On October 16, the liturgical feast day of Saint Marguerite d’Youville, a solemn Mass is celebrated at the Basilica of Saint Anne of Varennes, where the saint’s tomb rests in the funeral chapel dedicated to her.

Activities offered

  • Volunteering at the Sanctuary of Saint Marguerite d’Youville
  • Conferences
  • Exchanges
  • Occasional meetings with the Grey Nuns

By becoming a member, you will receive information on all our activities. Some of our past events have included presentations on Marguerite d’Youville, Pierre Boucher (Marguerite’s great-grandfather) and Accueil Bonneau.

For more information, please contact Louise Girard, coordinator at the Sanctuary of Saint Marguerite d’Youville:

lgirard@sanctuaireyouville.ca   

RELIGIOUS HERITAGE

In the imposing basilica, erected in 1887, Roman and Byzantine architecture combine to create a magnificent building. The space is adorned with numerous paintings, frescoes, windows, statues and religious objects, some of which have been preserved since the founding of the parish of Varennes in 1692.

Of particular note are the following:

Frescoes and paintings by

François Beaucourt, the first Canadian painter to study in Europe

Guido Nincheri, the Italian-Canadian painter nicknamed the Michelangelo of Montreal

Statues

The basilica’s facade is decorated with statues of Saint Anne, Saint Peter and Saint Paul, sculpted by Philippe Hébert (around 1886).

The statue of Marguerite d’Youville, a gift from the Grey Nuns of Montreal, was kept at the Crèche d’Youville in Montreal until 1971. It replaced the one that had been installed along the river in 1942.

Religious objects and other ancient pieces:

A bell donated by the Grey Nuns, which came from the old Hôpital Charron de Montreal (1693), an institution that Marguerite d’Youville took on and managed

A miraculous painting of Saint Anne (1730)

A sculpted wooden and gilt paschal candle (around 1788)

A hammered silver sanctuary lamp by Robert Cruickshawk (1803)

Sculpted wooden and gilt baptismal fonts, in the classic Napoleon III style (around 1885)

A sculpted and painted wooden pulpit (1888)

Imported Italian chandeliers (1889)

Just steps from the basilica, take a look at the following:

Two 19th-century votive chapels designated as “cultural property,” and a wooden Calvary cross recognized as a “historical monument”.

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