Marian Congress in Saint-Basile (am_2037)

From August 15th to 19th in 1951, a Congress in honour of the Blessed Virgin was held in Saint-Basile. The architects Bélanger and Roy drew up the plans for an imposing temporary altar for the Congress and the contract for construction was given to Léonce Charron, a carpenter from Saint-Quentin. Willie Landry did all the painting. The height of the arch in the centre was around 15 metres and it was decorated with a blue neon star undertaken by Edgar Fournier. The little arches on each side were also illuminated. The esplanade was able to accommodate a crowd of more than 20,000 people and there were about 30,000 on the evening of the torch procession. Photo in August 1951.