Yes, this is where she rests. Marguerite d’Youville. Foundress of the Grey Nuns. Head of the Montreal General Hospital. First Canadian woman to be canonized. A story intimately linked to history. Born in Varennes, now at her eternal rest in Varennes.
It’s been a long road, shall we say, to the Basilica in 2010. Since her death in 1771, her tomb has been moved (the technical term is translation) no less than six times. A process that, one imagines, must have been rather more complex than ordering from Amazon. Especially when you consider just how precious – and fragile (over 200 years old!) – this “parcel” could be.
Ultimately, it became clear that the tomb of Marguerite d’Youville should end its journey where the saint was baptized. Today, it can be admired in all its impressive immobility at the Basilica of Saint-Anne de Varennes, near the Sanctuaire Sainte-Marguerite-d’Youville.