Cap-de-la-Madeleine is a former city

Types of municipalities in Quebec

The following is a list of the types of local and supralocal territorial units in Quebec, including those used solely for statistical purposes, as defined by the Institut de la Statistique du Québec....

 in Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River

Saint-Maurice River

The Saint-Maurice River is a river in central Quebec which flows south from Gouin Reservoir to empty into the Saint Lawrence River at Trois-Rivières, Quebec. The river is 563 km in length and has a drainage basin of 43,300 km² ....

 and the St. Lawrence River. It was amalgamated into the City of Trois-Rivières

Trois-Rivières

Trois-Rivières means three rivers in French and may refer to:in Canada*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec...

 in 2002. Population (2006 census) 33,022.

History

Cap-de-la-Madeleine was founded March 20, 1651. The establishment was named by Jacques de La Ferté, who was abbot of Sainte-Madeleine de Châteaudun in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

.

The city is famous for its basilica, Basilique Notre-Dame du Cap

Notre-Dame-du-Cap Basilica

The Basilica of Notre-Dame-du-Cap is a basilica in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada. It is an important Catholic sanctuary which receives thousands of pilgrims each year....

, dedicated to Our Lady of the Cape

Our Lady of the Cape

Our Lady of the Cape is a title given to Mary the Mother of God in Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec Canada. The title pertains more specifically to a statue of the Blessed Mother which is currently located in the Old Shrine. Deep Marian Devotion existed in Cap-de-la-Madeleine since 1694 with the...

. The Basilica receives thousands of pilgrims and visitors each year. Pilgrims are drawn to the site because it is considered to be the place where two miracles were performed by the Blessed Virgin Mary

Mary (mother of Jesus)

Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...

, the first being the Miracle of the Ice Bridge (1879) and the other being the Miracle of the Eyes (1888). The first official pilgrimage occurred in 1883 and consisted of roughly 150 people who traveled to the location by foot. The site is considered the first pilgrimage site in North America, excluding Mexico.

The inhabitants call themselves Madelinois and Madelinoise.