The history of the Chapelle Sainte-Anne begins in 1848, following a mishap suffered by Father Siméon, the then Superior General of the Frères de Saint-Gabriel.
Having escaped unscathed after a dramatic fall from a horse, the Brother vowed to give thanks for his good fortune by building a chapel dedicated to St. Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary, who attracted a very widespread following in the 19th century.
The site for the future chapel was identified in 1855.
At that time, it was occupied by the Croix de Caillas, into the pedestal of which Brother Siméon inserted a medal, addressing St. Anne in these words : “I have sown your medal, now it’s up to you to grow a chapel here”.
Five years later, and thanks to a great deal of goodwill, the Chapel became reality ! On 8 April 1861, it was blessed by Father Galliot before a 4,000-strong congregation.
For many decades thereafter, the pupils of Saint-Gabriel came here every Sunday of the school year.
Recently restored as a result of a new appeal for funds, this neo-Gothic chapel boasts stained glass windows by Julien Léopold Lobin, the same master craftsman who created the windows for the former parish church since replaced by the Basilica.
