St. Anne's Shrine

In 1666, French forces built Fort Sainte Anne on Isle La Motte as part of a line of defenses along Lake Champlain, then a contested corridor between New France and its rivals. It was the first European settlement in the territory that would become Vermont, a small wooden fort at the top of the lake.

The soldiers and the missionaries who served them observed their faith at the fort, and the Mass celebrated here is remembered as the first in Vermont. The fort itself did not last long as the frontier shifted, but the memory of that beginning endured.

Centuries later the site was established as a shrine to honor that history, and the grounds today mark the location of the vanished fort with statuary, chapels, and quiet paths.

Long before the fort, the Champlain Islands and the lake around them were part of the homeland of the Abenaki, whose presence in this region reaches back thousands of years. The lake was a highway and a larder, its islands and shores places of travel, fishing, and gathering.

The arrival of the French, and the naming and building that came with them, was one chapter in a much longer human story here, not its start. The Abenaki are not a people of the past but a living community whose ties to this land continue.

Holding that fuller history in mind deepens a visit. The peaceful shore that feels timeless has been home and passage to people for a very long time, and the shrine occupies a small piece of a landscape rich with older meaning.

The devotional grounds are laid out beneath tall trees along the lakeshore, with open-air chapels, shrines, and statues set among lawns and paths. It is an unhurried, contemplative place, designed for walking slowly and pausing.

A prominent granite statue of Samuel de Champlain, the French explorer who mapped the lake that bears his name, stands on the grounds, a reminder of the era of exploration that brought Europeans up these waters. Other statues and stations dot the property.

The Society of St. Edmund has cared for the shrine for generations, and pilgrims come for its Masses and devotions in the warm season. Visitors of any background are welcome to walk the grounds, sit by the water, and take in the quiet.

Summer is the shrine's active season, when the grounds are open, the devotions are held, and the lakeshore is at its most welcoming for a walk or a picnic. The island is green and calm, a place that rewards a slow visit.

Early fall brings color to the islands and cooler air off the lake, a beautiful and peaceful time before the season winds down. The light over the water is especially fine.

In the cold months the grounds rest and access narrows, the lake gray and the island still. The site keeps its quiet through the winter, waiting for the return of the pilgrims in spring.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

St. Anne's Shrine, on Isle La Motte in the Champlain Islands of Vermont, is a peaceful Catholic shrine and place of pilgrimage set on the site of the first European settlement in Vermont, along the shore of Lake Champlain. The shrine occupies the location of a historic seventeenth-century French fort and mission, where the first Catholic Mass in the region was said, and today it features an open-air chapel, statues and grottoes, beautiful lakeside grounds, and a large statue commemorating the explorer Samuel de Champlain. A serene site of faith, history, and natural beauty, it welcomes pilgrims and visitors of all backgrounds. With its shrine and history, St. Anne's Shrine offers a meaningful destination in Vermont.

St. Anne's Shrine sits on the site of the first European settlement in Vermont, where French colonists built a fort and Catholic mission in the seventeenth century, and where the first Catholic Mass in the region was celebrated. The area was long part of the homeland of Native peoples, and the site reflects the region's early colonial and religious history along Lake Champlain, which the explorer Samuel de Champlain traveled. Today the shrine preserves and honors this heritage as a place of faith and remembrance. Understanding this layered history enriches a respectful visit to St. Anne's Shrine in Vermont.

You can visit the peaceful open-air chapel and shrine, walk the beautiful lakeside grounds with their statues, grottoes, and gardens, see the large statue commemorating Samuel de Champlain, reflect on the site's history and faith, and, for those who wish, take part in worship. The serene shrine, the historic site of Vermont's first settlement, the lovely lakeside grounds, and the sense of peace are the draws, welcoming pilgrims and visitors alike. As an active religious site, visiting respectfully is important. With its shrine and grounds, St. Anne's Shrine offers a meaningful experience in Vermont.

St. Anne's Shrine is typically open seasonally in the warm months, generally late spring through fall, when the open-air chapel and grounds are most welcoming and the lakeside setting is at its most beautiful, with pilgrimage and worship activity especially in summer. Because it is seasonal and an active religious site, checking current hours and any service schedules before you go is wise. Visiting respectfully, mindful of worshippers, is important. For the fullest experience with the grounds at their best, aim for late spring through fall at St. Anne's Shrine in Vermont.

St. Anne's Shrine is on Isle La Motte in the Champlain Islands of Vermont, within reach of Grand Isle State Park, Alburgh Dunes State Park, the Hero's Welcome General Store in North Hero, Snow Farm Vineyard, and the fossil preserves of the islands. That makes St. Anne's Shrine a meaningful stop to combine with Grand Isle State Park, the fossil preserves, and the other attractions of the Champlain Islands on a visit to Vermont.