- National shrine
- Devotional shrine
Our Lady of the Cape Shrine
Our Lady of the Cape
The Old Shrine and modern basilica hold one living Rosary pilgrimage beside the St. Lawrence.
- Location
- Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada
- Shrine type
- National shrine
- Devotional shrine
- Recognition
- Established Catholic pilgrimage shrine
- Marian title
- Our Lady of the Cape
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Longer when joining Mass or a group pilgrimage.
To pray the Rosary with the Church.
Begin in the Old Shrine, where the long memory of parish prayer remains close at hand. Then carry that prayer into the modern basilica and its living liturgy. The faithful bring sorrow, gratitude and hope to Mary, asking her intercession as they turn to her Son. Leave space for quiet prayer between the old church and the larger basilica, and check the shrine’s liturgical schedule before you come.
What happened here.
The shrine grew from seventeenth-century parish life into a national Marian pilgrimage place.
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First wooden church
Catholic worship begins on the site.
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Stone church opens
The present Old Shrine receives the parish.
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Rosary Bridge tradition
The shrine remembers an ice path after parishioners prayed for a way to transport stone.
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Witness account
The shrine records three witnesses reporting the statue’s eyes opening.
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Basilica consecrated
The modern pilgrimage church is consecrated.
A prayerful visit
Let the older church set the pace.
- 01 Rosary in the Old Shrine Let the smaller church set a slow pace.
- 02 Mass in the basilica Check the shrine’s current celebration schedule.
- 03 Petitions for others Carry the needs of those who cannot travel.
What to notice, without rushing.
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01
Old Shrine
The surviving stone church opened in 1720.
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02
Modern basilica
The larger church serves today’s pilgrim assembly.
How long to stay, and what to pray.
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Half a day Rosary and basilicaPilgrims seeking time to prayThis plan saves
- Pray the Rosary in the Old Shrine
- Walk to the modern basilica
- Join Mass if the current schedule permits
3 stops
The lives this shrine remembers.
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The devotion
Our Lady of the Cape
Marian titleThe shrine’s title of the Blessed Virgin Mary invites the pilgrim to Christ through the Rosary.
One sanctuary beside the St. Lawrence
The historic stone church, modern basilica and riverside grounds belong to one pilgrimage place.
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Historic church Old Shrine The 1720 stone church carries the memory of parish prayer.
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Pilgrim church Modern basilica The larger church gathers worshippers for the liturgy.
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River setting St. Lawrence shore The river setting belongs to the place’s long history.
Official shrine · sanctuaire-ndc.ca
National Marian Shrine
Our Lady of the Cape Shrine The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops lists Our Lady of the Cape among Canada’s national shrines.
Where a pilgrimage goes next.
Also in the area, guides to come: Old Shrine (on site).
Photo credits
- Hero. Photo: Inphasis, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Source. CC BY-SA 4.0.
- The river beside the sanctuary. Photo: Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Source. CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Old Shrine. Photo: Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Source. CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Modern basilica. Intérieur de la basilique Notre Dame du Cap. Trois-Rivières,Qc. - panoramio. Photo: Richard Mc Neil, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Source. CC BY 3.0.