Scherpenheuvel-Zichem
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Scherpenheuvel-Zichem is a municipality located in the province of Flemish Brabant, Flemish Region, Belgium. The municipality comprises the towns of Averbode, Messelbroek, Scherpenheuvel, Testelt and Zichem (previously spelled Sichem, like the biblical town). On January 1, 2006 Scherpenheuvel-Zichem had a total population of 22,064. The total area is 50.50 km² which gives a population density of 437 inhabitants per km².
Scherpenheuvel is the most important pilgrimage site in Belgium. It is located some 50 km east of the capital Brussels, in the province of Flemish Brabant. It is the most frequently visited Roman Catholic place of pilgrimage in the country, and its origins date back to the Middle Ages.
Legend has it that the Virgin Mary performed a miracle here, freezing a shepherd boy into place who tried to take home a small statue of her attached to big oak tree, thus foiling the theft.
This event triggered a flood of devoted pilgrims, arriving from the surrounding areas, who came to the tree to pray for the healing of their sick loved ones. Later a wooden chapel was built where the tree once stood, and later still a small stone church was erected.
In 1607, Archduke Albert of Austria (appointed by the King of Spain as the governor of the Low Countries), and his wife, the Archduchess Isabella (daughter of King Philip II of Spain) visited the town, and were so taken by its mystic and religious impact that they decided to tear down the small church and build a basilica in its place. The construction of this unique, baroque structure took 20 years, and by the time the 7-point basilica was finished, the streets and layout of the town itself had been designed to mirror the shape.
The dome of the church is symbolic of the cosmos, adorned with 298 golden stars. The main alter is placed on the exact spot where the old oak tree once stood. During the inauguration mass in 1627, Archduchess Isabella got to her feet and threw handfuls of gold and jewelry at the foot of the alter, a custom that persist to this very day, in the form of coin throwing.
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Municipalities in the Province of Flemish Brabant, Flanders, Belgium |
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Halle-Vilvoorde: Affligem | Asse | Beersel | Bever | Dilbeek | Drogenbos | Galmaarden | Gooik | Grimbergen | Halle | Herne | Hoeilaart | Kampenhout | Kapelle-op-den-Bos | Kraainem | Lennik | Liedekerke | Linkebeek | Londerzeel | Machelen | Meise | Merchtem | Opwijk | Overijse | Pepingen | Roosdaal | Sint-Genesius-Rode | Sint-Pieters-Leeuw | Steenokkerzeel | Ternat | Vilvoorde | Wemmel | Wezembeek-Oppem | Zaventem | Zemst |
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