Guide to Belgium
Must See Belgium
Places in Belgium
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This is the Lourdes of Belgium, pilgrims come here from all over the country to pay homage to a tiny statue of the Virgin Mary, ensconced in a huge baroque basilica built on a hillock in the early 17th century. Colourful street stalls festooned with all manner of religious trinkets vie for the euros of visiting pilgrims.
The origins of this place extend much further back...a solitary oak tree, the centre of pagan worship, originally topped the hill and in the 14th century a wooden statue of the virgin was attached to the tree.
Tags
- must-see, religious/spiritual, shop onsite