Onze-Lieve-Vrouwkerk

Onze-Lieve-Vrouwkerk is the parish church of Vlezenbeek, a village within the municipality of Sint-Pieters-Leeuw in the Flemish Brabant province of Belgium. The church stands on the village's central square, known simply as Dorp, and has served as a landmark for this small community west of Brussels for centuries.

How did the site's history begin?

Marian devotion in Vlezenbeek can be traced back to a chapel built beside a spring known as the Merselborre, which was believed to have miraculous properties. Over time a Romanesque church replaced the chapel, and inside it worshippers venerated a statue of Mary regarded as miraculous. The cult drew so many visitors that Vlezenbeek developed into a pilgrimage destination. Until 1305 the settlement was ecclesiastically dependent on the parish of Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, whose patronage rights belonged to the Holy Sepulchre abbey in Cambrai. In that year Vlezenbeek was granted independent parish status, and the earlier chapel was replaced by a church.

The turmoil of the religious conflicts at the end of the 16th century struck the community hard: the original miraculous statue of Mary, along with the parish archive, was destroyed. Despite this loss, devotion continued — a new polychrome wooden statue of Mary was created in 1589 and still stands in the church today.

How did the building itself evolve?

The oldest surviving parts of the current structure are the early Gothic choir, dating from the 14th century, while the core of the nave dates from the 14th or 15th century. The tower, positioned at the junction between the nave and the choir, was built in 1616. Successive building phases left clearly visible traces on the exterior walls, so the church's outer form still reads as a record of its own construction history. The baroque-influenced portal in the west facade bears the date "Anno 1673" carved into the arch imposts. The building has been a protected heritage monument since 1976.

What can visitors see inside?

Much of the interior furnishing dates from the 18th century and is executed in the Baroque style. The main altar was completed in 1738. The north side altar, from the same year, is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and today houses the 1589 statue described above. The south side altar, dedicated to Saint Anthony, is later, dating from 1808. The pulpit, also Baroque in style, was carved in 1680.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwkerk in Vlezenbeek the same building as Antwerp's Cathedral of Our Lady? No. These are two distinct buildings that happen to share a similar patronal name — Antwerp's cathedral is a monumental Gothic structure famous for its Rubens paintings, while the Vlezenbeek church is a much smaller village parish church in the municipality of Sint-Pieters-Leeuw.

Where exactly is the church located? On the central village square (Dorp) of Vlezenbeek, part of the municipality of Sint-Pieters-Leeuw in Flemish Brabant, west of Brussels.

Why did Vlezenbeek become a pilgrimage site? Because of a statue of Mary venerated here since the Middle Ages as miraculous, and the nearby Merselborre spring, which was credited with special properties.

Has the original medieval statue of Mary survived? No — the original statue and the parish archive were destroyed during the religious conflicts of the late 16th century. The current polychrome wooden statue dates from 1589.

Since when has the building been a protected monument? The church was listed as a protected heritage site in 1976.