One of Canada’s most sacred places, the shrine to the mother of the Virgin Mary was originally built in the 17th century. In 1650 a group of sailors who landed here after surviving a shipwreck vowed to build a chapel in honor of Saint Anne, the patron saint of those in shipwrecks. Over 1.5 million visitors now visit every year, including an annual pilgrimage on Saint Anne’s Feastday on July 26. This medieval-style basilica was built in the 1920s, and was the fifth church to be built on this site. In the entrance stand two columns of crutches, testimony to the faith of generations of Roman Catholics. The dome-vaulted ceiling is decorated with gold mosaics portraying the life of Saint Anne. She is represented in a large gilt statue in the transept, cradling the Virgin Mary.