Strict Standards: Declaration of McalendarControllerMCalendar::display() should be compatible with McalendarController::display($cachable = false, $urlparams = false) in /home/nrnvguvu78sn/public_html/components/com_mcalendar/controllers/mcalendar.php on line 0
Strict Standards: Only variables should be passed by reference in /home/nrnvguvu78sn/public_html/components/com_mcalendar/controllers/mcalendar.php on line 34
Strict Standards: Only variables should be passed by reference in /home/nrnvguvu78sn/public_html/components/com_mcalendar/controllers/mcalendar.php on line 35
Strict Standards: Only variables should be passed by reference in /home/nrnvguvu78sn/public_html/components/com_mcalendar/controllers/mcalendar.php on line 36
Strict Standards: Only variables should be passed by reference in /home/nrnvguvu78sn/public_html/components/com_mcalendar/controllers/mcalendar.php on line 37
Strict Standards: Only variables should be passed by reference in /home/nrnvguvu78sn/public_html/components/com_mcalendar/controllers/mcalendar.php on line 38
Related Books
Basilica of Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel / Montaigu
(
Notice: Trying to get property of non-object in /home/nrnvguvu78sn/public_html/components/com_mcalendar/views/shrine/tmpl/default.php on line 42
, )
Scherpenheuvel is a place-name meaning sharp (or steep) hill which, since it falls within Dutch-speaking Brabant, is also known as Montaigu. Located just south of the river Demer between Diest and Aardschot, it is held in particular veneration by the inhabitants of the Kempen (provinces of Antwerp and Limburg) across the Demer to the north. However for the annual Candlelight Procession held outdoors at 2pm on the first Sunday after All Saints, thousands of pilgrims flock here from all over Belgium and from other countries as well.
This particular ceremony dates from 1629, when it occurred spontaneously as a special intercession to the Virgin for Relief from an epidemic. Veneration of Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel, however goes back much earlier to a time when a statue of the Virgin was discovered in the boughs of an oak tree at the very top of the hill. It is one of the favorite pilgrimages of the students of the University of Leuven.
The early Baroque church which now houses the statue, draped in a rich Spanish cloak and wearing a crown, was built in 1609. Seven-sided square, out of the model of St. Peter’s Rome, the church stands on a seven-sided square, out of which streets lead to form a small community itself seven-sided in plan. The geometric perfection stems from the fact that Montaigu was constructed all of a piece to the order of Albert and Isabella, the Spanish Hapsburg rulers of the Low Countries after the death of Philip II.
Images of Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel are to be found all over Belgium, perhaps the most attractive being small stained-glass panels two or three feet high which people insert in windows or rest on windows sills to catch the light. Scarcely less prized among devout Belgians are the candle-ends saved after the Candlelight Procession each year at Montaigu. They are lit again and allowed to burn out only at some moment of personal or family crisis such as the birth of a baby.
Basic Information
Note: This information was accurate when first published and we do our best to keep it updated, but details such as opening hours can change without notice. To avoid disappointment, please check with the site directly before making a special trip.
