Saint Anne's Shrine
Shrine · Isle La Motte, Vermont
A Catholic shrine and retreat centre on the Lake Champlain shore of Isle La Motte, on the ground where the French built Fort Sainte Anne in 1666 - the first permanent European settlement in Vermont, put there to guard Montreal against the Mohawk. The first Catholic Mass in what became Vermont was said on this spot, and in 1668 the Bishop of Quebec came down the lake to it. The fort was gone within a few decades and almost nothing of it survives above ground; the Bishop of Burlington bought the land in 1892 to keep the place. What is here now is an open-air chapel, lawns, old trees and a great deal of water.
92 Saint Annes Road, Isle La Motte, Vermont, 05463, United States
⚠ SEASONAL - open roughly MID-MAY TO MID-OCTOBER and effectively closed the rest of the year, on a remote island in Lake Champlain. FREE: there is no admission charge to the grounds, the shore, the open-air chapel or the historical markers, and parking is free. Donations are welcomed and are how the shrine is maintained. ⚠ IT IS A WORKING SHRINE AND RETREAT CENTRE AND VISITORS OF ANY FAITH OR NONE ARE EXPLICITLY WELCOME - but parts of the property are retreat space in use, so stay to the public grounds. ⚠ MASS IS CELEBRATED REGULARLY THROUGH THE SEASON, daily and Sundays, mostly at the open-air chapel; times are published on the shrine's own site and change - check them in both directions, since you may want to attend one or to avoid one. ⚠ THE FEAST OF SAINT ANNE IN LATE JULY is a pilgrimage occasion and the site is genuinely busy. NO PHOTOGRAPHY during Mass or of people at prayer. A gift shop and cafeteria run seasonally. ⚠ ALMOST NOTHING OF THE 1666 FORT SURVIVES ABOVE GROUND.
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