The National Shrine of the North American Martyrs is located 40 miles west of Albany, New York, in the small town of Auriesville. The shrine is the site of the martyrdom America's three canonized saints: St. Rene Goupil, St. Isaac Jogues, and St. John Lalande. They were killed by Mohawks who were angry at the French, and their missionaries inparticular. Jogues and Lalande were killed while returning to the Iroquois land, and Goupil while performing missionary work in the area. The site is also the location of the first recorded recitation of the Rosary in New York, on September 29, 1642, and is dedicated to Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, who was born there in 1658.
The Shrine opened on August 15, 1885, and consisted of a wooden cross, a small chapel, and ten acres of land on the crest of a hill in the Mohawk Valley. Today, the shrine has 600-acres of land, and facilities to accommodate thousands of people. Mass is held daily, with confession immediately preceding services. Guided tours of the grounds are available at 10:30am and 2:30 pm Monday through Saturday. Stations of the Cross are available, either on foot or by car.
One can see the grounds of the shrine from the New York State Thruway when driving west. While the shrine is open between the first Sunday in May and the last Sunday in October, the grounds are lit up at night, making the shrine's location even more obvious.
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