OUR LADY VIRGA JESSE BASILICA

• OUR LADY VIRGA JESSE BASILICA
• The Virga Jesse Basilica in Hasselt is an important religious and historical monument located in the heart of the city.
• Originally founded in 1334 as the Clerken Chapel by members of the Brotherhood of Our Lady, the current church was built in 1727 in a late Baroque and early Neoclassical style.
• The basilica is named after the 14th-century wooden statue of Virga Jesse, which is the focal point of the city’s famous septennial Virga Jesse Procession.
• In 1867, the statue was crowned by papal decree through François-Xavier de Mérode, and in 1998 the church was elevated to the status of a basilica by Pope John Paul II.
• The building suffered severe damage from a V-1 rocket strike in November 1944, which killed 16 people. After reconstruction, it was re-consecrated in 1951.
• The basilica houses several valuable artworks, including a Baroque altar by Jean Del Cour, stained-glass windows depicting the Tree of Jesse, and an organ by Arnold Clerinx (1860).
• It remains a place of peace, prayer, and culture, serving as the spiritual heart of the Virga Jesse Feasts, held every seven years.
• Located on Kapelstraat in Hasselt, the basilica is open to visitors daily.