The Sainte-Anne-d'Auray Pilgrimage
"The crowds of people who will come to honor me in this place will be the greatest miracle of all."
Words of Saint Anne to Yvon Nicolazic.
Sainte-Anne-d'Auray, in Morbihan, is the site of the eponymous great pilgrimage at the Sanctuary of Sainte-Anne. This sanctuary mainly consists of the basilica dedicated to Saint Anne. It is the most important pilgrimage site in all of Brittany, welcoming between 600,000 and 700,000 visitors a year, a majority of whom are pilgrims.
Every year, on July 26, between 20,000 and 30,000 pilgrims attend the Grand Pardon of Sainte Anne. This July pilgrimage ranks third among French pilgrimages, after those of Lourdes and Lisieux.
Sainte-Anne-d'Auray is the only place where Saint Anne has appeared.
History of the Sainte-Anne-d'Auray Pilgrimage
After apparitions of the holy mother of Mary between 1623 and 1625 to Yvon Nicolazic, a peasant from the village of Ker Anna, in the parish of Pluneret, devotion to Saint Anne developed considerably on the site of the future basilica. Ker Anna means, in Breton, "village of Anne." The origin of the village's name is likely related to a pagan goddess.
Under the supervision of Yvon Nicolazic, a chapel is built. The foundation stone is laid on July 26, 1625. On July 4, 1628, the chapel is solemnly blessed by the official of Vannes and becomes Brittany's place of pilgrimage.
The pilgrimage is first managed by the Capuchin fathers of Auray between 1625 and 1628, but their rule is actually incompatible with such duties. So, the Bishop of Vannes asks the Carmelite fathers to take over. On February 16, 1628, the latter settle in Ker Anna, which will gradually become better known as Sainte-Anne-d'Auray. Faced with the revelations of Yvon Nicolazic's visions, the monks are initially cautious. But, after conducting some investigations, they take charge of the sanctuary and become ardent promoters of the pilgrimage.
The monks then build a convent and a cloister, between 1638 and 1641, on two levels, adjoining the chapel.
Quickly, in an effort to authenticate the devotion, the religious are forced to record all the miracles attributed to the intercession of Saint Anne: 1300 are recorded between 1625 and 1684.
On October 21, 1662, the Scala Santa (Holy Staircase) is inaugurated, built by the Carmelites in 1662, in front of the chapel porch, to facilitate the holding of religious ceremonies. In 1870, it is dismantled stone by stone due to expansion work. It is then moved to the back of the Champ de l'Épine, where it is blessed on March 7, 1871.
Today, the spring where Nicolazic had his first vision of the mother of the Immaculate Conception is a monumental fountain, set into large blocks of cut stone and an enclosure. The fountain of Ker Anna is even called the "miraculous fountain" because of all the healings and even miracles obtained by pilgrims. At the sanctuary, a high granite pedestal was built, overlooking three basins of the same stone, and supporting a statue of Saint Anne with the Blessed Virgin, welcoming the pilgrims.
Unfortunately, the chapel is devastated during the French Revolution. Fortunately, it is legally restored to worship thanks to the Concordat of 1801. The chapel and the Carmelite convent are repurchased in 1803 by the Diocese of Vannes. The latter even establishes a minor seminary in the Carmelite building in 1815.
In 1865, the Bishop of Vannes has the small chapel demolished to erect, in its place, a much larger church, intended to accommodate a growing number of pilgrims.
Thus, the current edifice is erected in a neo-Gothic style between 1866 and 1872. On May 22, 1874, by a brief of Pope Pius IX, the new church is raised to the rank of a minor basilica. It is then consecrated on August 8, 1877.
On December 20, 1996, Pope Saint John Paul II celebrates a Mass in the house Keranna, west of the basilica, where 150,000 people gathered. He is the first pope to come to Brittany.
After the canonization of this saintly pope in 2014, the basilica permanently receives a relic: "Ex Capillis Sancti Joannis Pauli II Papae" (a few strands of hair) and a statue of the Sovereign Pontiff.
Praying at Sainte-Anne-d'Auray
There's no need to wait for a pilgrimage organized by a diocese to come and pray before the holy mother of Mary. The sanctuary, located in the heart of a 7-hectare park, welcomes pilgrims in various prayer spaces.
Pilgrims are invited to discover the message of Saint Anne, following in the footsteps of Yvon Nicolazic, through the basilica and its cloister, but also the Scala Santa, the miraculous fountain, the memorial, the sailors' stele, the statue of Saint Anne and the Virgin Mary reading the bible, and the oratory of the Breton house.
Each year, pilgrimages are also organized for mothers, for fathers, and for couples hoping for children, usually by a diocese in Brittany.
Jubilee of Sainte-Anne-d'Auray, 1625-2025
2025 is, after three years, the year completing the 4th centenary of the apparitions of Saint Anne to Yvon Nicolazic, from 1623 to 1625.
From Wednesday, March 5 to Monday, June 9, 2025, from Lent to Pentecost, all pilgrims are invited to take part in numerous spiritual and cultural events. Services will be celebrated in the basilica, accompanied by musicians from the Academy of Music and Sacred Arts, as well as by choirs.
Each Sunday of Lent is marked by pilgrimages from the Breton dioceses.
Pentecost will truly be the climax of this 400th anniversary with a great diocesan celebration. Activities, conferences, musical services, and a concert by the group Hopen at the Memorial are on the program.
Pilgrimage of the Grand Pardon of Sainte-Anne-d'Auray
A "pardon" is a Breton form of pilgrimage and the most traditional manifestation of popular faith in Brittany. It is a penitential act. The faithful make a pilgrimage to a place dedicated to a saint (his/her tomb or the site of an apparition, as here for Saint Anne) to ask for pardon. The pilgrimage itself manifests the desire to do penance and obtain "pardon," by offering the hardships of the journey, often traveled on foot.
The Pardon of Sainte-Anne-d'Auray is called the "Grand Pardon," certainly due to the impressive number of pilgrims gathering each year; but also because it celebrates Saint Anne, patron saint of Brittany and its Bretons.
The annual pilgrimage of the Grand Pardon of Sainte-Anne-d'Auray will begin, in 2025, on Thursday, July 24 with the welcome of the pilgrims. The first services will begin on Friday the 25th. This day, which will open with the arrival of the Troménie of Saint Anne, will end with a magnificent torchlight vigil. A Mass in Breton will take place on Saturday, July 26, followed by the usual services, a Fest-deiz, and a concert. Finally, on Sunday, July 27, the closing Mass and the sending forth of the young people for the Youth Jubilee in Rome will be celebrated, followed by a festive afternoon (Breton games, Celtic circles, and a concert by the French Army Chorus).
Hail Mary of the Carmelites
"Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with you.
May your grace be with us.
Blessed be Anne your mother
From whom you were born immaculate, Virgin Mary,
From whom was born Jesus Christ, Son of God, the blessed one.
R/ Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of our death. Amen."
This Hail Mary was prayed by the Carmelites in the 17th century, at the beginning of their pilgrimage to Sainte-Anne-d'Auray. This Ave Maria associates Saint Anne with the Angelus prayer.
Prayer to Saint Anne
"Saint Anne we pray to you.
Be the guardian of faith in our hearts, of grace in our souls, of the strength of our homes, of love in our families, of reconciliation in the Church, of Peace in the world.
Keep alive in us the virtue of Hope, like this flame that burns before you, patient and persevering, prolonging our prayer.
Saint Anne watch over us.
Amen."
Prayer to Saint Anne for Couples Hoping for Children
"Saint Anne, for years, with Joachim, you waited for the coming of a child.
After this time of trial, from your union was born Mary the Immaculate.
You appeared to Yvon Nicolazic who, with his wife Guillemette, had hoped for a birth for about ten years.
You filled this couple, faithful in praying to you, with joy, since four children were born to their home.
Saint Anne, we ask you to hear our prayer, so that our waiting may be fulfilled.
You know our desire to give life, to be parents, to see children flourish in our home.
We will educate them in faith in Jesus the Savior, in the hope of living with you near Mary in the glory of heaven, in the love of the Lord and our brothers and sisters.
Saint Anne, we trust in you.
Intercede for us."
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