FATHER VALENTIN’S CHURCH

• FATHER VALENTIN’S CHURCH
• Brief History
  The Friars Minor (a branch of the Franciscan order) built a monastery with an adjoining church on Minderbroedersstraat in 1645. The church was consecrated in 1655.
  In 1797, the order was dissolved and their property was sold.
  The friars later returned to Hasselt (in the 1800s), and in 1898 the monastery complex was repurchased.
  After the death of Father Valentinus Paquay in 1905, a burial chapel was built next to the church.
  The church and monastery have been protected as monuments since 1980.
• Meaning & Use
  The church is a pilgrimage site for many who venerate the “Heilig Paterke” (Blessed Father). People come here for prayer, comfort, devotion, and to offer votive gifts or novenas.
  Each year, the burial chapel and museum attract thousands of visitors.
  Liturgically, it remains an active church with regular services.