Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré

City in southern Québec, Canada, 34 km/21 mi northeast of Québec City, on the north shore of the St Lawrence River; population (1991) 3,100. A shrine here dedicated to Saint Anne has been one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Canada since the 17th century.

The first chapel in the saint's honour was erected in 1658. The present Romanesque basilica, latest in a series of replacements, was constructed in 1926. The memorial chapel (1878) and other religious sites also attract large numbers of visitors.

The mill town of Beaupré (population (1991) 2,700), just to the east, separated from Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in 1927.

The narrow coastal strip called the Côte de Beaupré extends from Montmorency in the southwest to Cap Tourmente in the northeast, some 40 km/25 mi, between the cliffs of the Canadian Shield and the St Lawrence. It was named (‘beautiful meadow’) after its rich, if limited, bottomland.