Courtesy Fountaine de Tourny in Quebec CityBonjour, Quebec City!
Although I’d been hearing French spoken all throughout the province, it was Quebec City that made me feel like I could be standing in France. The capital city evokes Europe’s great aesthetic with colorful stone buildings, bakeries, art galleries and people strolling along the cobblestone streets soaking up the atmosphere.
My costumed guide, interpreting the character of Quebec City’s first settler, Louis Hebert, captivated me with stories about the area’s early years.
“It was so rough in the beginning,” said our guide. “No one could make it through the winter here. Everyone would say to the boats coming to the city, ‘Good luck, we’re going back.’ I was the first one to come here and stay more than a year, which is why they call me the first settler.”
At the Citadelle, a military installation and national historic site of Canada, our guide described the Battle of Quebec when Gen. James Wolfe wore down the morale of the French general and took the city for England. The battle dictated the future of the continent because Quebec officially became a British colony in 1763.
From there, I entered Old Quebec, which is surrounded by thick stone walls. The only fortified city north of Mexico, Old Quebec is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. History seemed so present there; my guide with his cape, boots and French Canadian hat appeared more at home there than many of those more modernly dressed.
After my city tour, I discovered a rare copper engraving technique called repoussé at the Albert Gilles Copper Art Boutique and Museum.
“Repoussé is a dying art. That’s why I’m going to show you how it’s done,” said Palmyre Gilles, public relations manager for the Albert Gilles Copper Art Museum. “My father learned this art through a lot of practice. There were no iPods or video games of the day to distract him.”
As Gilles demonstrated the copper engraving, I came to appreciate the persistence involved, as making one mistake in an engraving project means starting all over. The museum contains giant works of art using this meticulous technique, including a large rooster, copper doors, religious scenes and other detailed works of art.
The walls of Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre are also adorned with their share of crutches, but the most notable mementos are the tiny baby shoes commemorating miracles attributed to St. Anne, the grandmother of Jesus. Because the biblical figure had a child after being declared infertile, many of the devoted who prayed for a similar miracle child sent shoes to the basilica once they gave birth.
Located near Quebec City, the shrine has been credited with many miracles. One story even claims that a basilica construction worker suffering from rheumatism became cured after placing three stones on the shrine’s foundation.
“That’s the reason this place has become so famous. People heard about that first miracle,” said Guy Fontaine, guide of the site. “The basilica is dedicated to St. Anne because she is the patron saint of sailors, which makes sense because the church is by the St. Lawrence River.”
I thought the Norman Gothic basilica looked more like a castle than a church, with its intricate white stonework and gold statue of St. Anne. I also admired all the paintings and statues that couldn’t fit inside the church at the basilica’s museum.
After a pleasant train ride back to Montreal, I sat down in the dark Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal. I wasn’t sure what to expect while I waited for the church’s nightly Sound and Light Show to start.
After a video of the church’s history, screens covering the altar slowly pulled away to reveal the magnificence of the basilica lit with green, blue and red lights. I felt goose bumps running down my arms as the lights illuminated the basilica’s extraordinary interior in a spectacular reveal.
When I closed my eyes that night back in my hotel room, I could still see the lighted altar of the Notre Dame Basilica. The thought made me smile, and the image seemed a glorious vision to take home.
Quebec’s National Shrines
www.quebecshrines.com
