Our Lady of Grace 1
Anderlecht, Belgium (1449)
In 1443, a linden and two hawthorn trees were planted on a hilltop in the Scheut area near Brussels. To one of these trees the old farmer affixed a wooden statuette of the Virgin and Child. In 1449, on the night before Pentecost, people saw a glow coming from the place, and so began the pilgrimage to Our Lady of Grace.
On February 21, 1450, the Count of Charolais laid the foundation stone for a chapel. The Gothic church of the Mother of Grace was consecrated in 1531.
The little statue survived the ravages of the French Revolution and now sits in Notre Dame de Grace in the Collegiate Church of Sts. Peter and Guy in Anderlecht.
It is processed on the Saturday closest to St. Guy's feast day, September 12.
Text and image used with permission.
Source: "365 Days with Mary" by Michael O'Neill
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