Basilica of Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel
| Basilica of Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel Basiliek van Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Scherpenheuvel (Dutch) Basilique de Notre Dame de Montaigu (French) |
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Scherpenheuvel-Zichem, Belgium |
| Geographic coordinates | 50°58′49″N 4°58′42″E / 50.98028°N 4.97833°ECoordinates: 50°58′49″N 4°58′42″E / 50.98028°N 4.97833°E |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Municipality | Scherpenheuvel-Zichem |
| Year consecrated | 1627 |
| Status | Active |
| Leadership | Luc Van Hilst |
| Website | [1] |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Wenceslas Cobergher |
| Architectural type | Parish church, Minor Basilica |
| Architectural style | Baroque |
| Groundbreaking | 1609 |
The Basilica of Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel (Dutch: Basiliek van Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Scherpenheuvel, French: Basilique de Notre Dame de Montaigu, Spanish Basílica menor de Nuestra Señora de Monteagudo) is a Roman Catholic parish church and minor basilica in Scherpenheuvel-Zichem, Belgium. The church was consecrated in 1627 and raised to the status of a minor basilica in 1922. It is reputedly the most frequently visited shrine of pilgrimage in Belgium. While the cult on the Scherpenheuvel (or Sharp Hill) is older, its present architectural layout and its enduring importance are due to the patronage of the Archdukes Albert and Isabella and the Counter-Reformation.
For many years the Marian cult on the Scherpenheuvel centered on a small statue of the Virgin Mary that hung in an oak tree on top of the hill. According to the foundation legend a shepherd noticed that the image had fallen to the ground and decided to take it home. When he had lifted it, he discovered he was unable to move. As the herd did not return in the evening, his master got worried and went to look for the shepherd. Only by restoring the statue to its original place in the oak tree could the master release the shepherd, thereby discovering the spiritual importance of the site. The veracity of this story is impossible to ascertain. It is however clear that the inhabitants of the nearby town of Zichem would frequent the site in the second half of the sixteenth century whenever a member of the family suffered from illness. They would traditionally walk round the tree three times while praying.
Zichem was part of the barony of Diest, a possession of the House of Orange-Nassau. In the course of the Dutch Revolt the barony changed hands several times. While occupied by forces of the United Provinces between 1580 and 1583, the statue was removed in an act of iconoclasm. After the town was retaken by Alexander Farnese, the parishioners of Zichem restored the cult in 1587. It was later claimed that they did so after discovering the original statue and returning it to the tree. From then on the cult of Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel began to expand. Soldiers and almoners of the Army of Flanders that were stationed in nearby Diest or Zichem helped to spread its reputation.
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Wikipedia