Sanctuary of Beauraing and site of the Apparitions

You have now reached the site of the Apparitions of the Virgin Mary, now a sanctuary and a place of pilgrimage. The story behind this site relates that, between 29 November 1932 and 3 January 1933, five Beauraing children witnessed apparitions of the Virgin on 33 occasions. After much reluctance and opposition from all sides, the diocesan authorities concluded, after rigorous investigation, that the children were telling the truth. Worship at the site was authorised in 1943, and the supernatural nature of the events
acknowledged in 1949. The spot at which the apparitions occurred, beneath a hawthorn tree (aubépine), is open to the public night and day. The space around the tree is now enclosed and in it stands a statue of the Virgin, with steps up to the plinth for placing candles and flowers at her feet: it is a focal point of reflection and prayer for visitors. Work began in 1947 on building a Votive Chapel in local limestone. Beautifully carved, it now forms the heart of the sanctuary. Further buildings were gradually added, built in concrete and starkly streamlined in design. They include the Shelter, which surrounds the Garden of the Apparitions, the Crypt of Saint John, the church of the Rosary, with capacity for 700 worshippers, and the Upper Church, with capacity for up to 5,000 pilgrims.