The Virga Jesse Basilica (Dutch: Virga Jessebasiliek) is a basilica located on Kapelstraat in Hasselt, Belgium. The church is best known for housing the 14th-century statue of the Virga Jesse, which is paraded through the streets of Hasselt every seven years during the Seven-Yearly Festivities.
The church, formerly known as Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk, was first established in 1334 when a member of the "Brotherhood of Our Lady" built the Clerkenkapel on the site. The current structure, completed in 1727, was built in a late-Baroque and early-Classical style, replacing the original chapel.
On August 15, 1867, Pope Pius IX authorized the coronation of the Virga Jesse statue by François-Xavier de Mérode. The church was heavily damaged by a V-1 rocket bombing in November 1944, which killed 16 people and destroyed much of the surrounding area. The Virga Jesse statue miraculously survived the devastation. The church was rebuilt and reopened in 1951.
On May 6, 1998, Pope John Paul II elevated the church to the status of a basilica. The basilica received the traditional insignia of a basilica, including a conopeum (papal umbrella) and a tintinnabulum (bell). It has been a protected monument since 1980.
Removal of the Bell Tower in 2017
During a routine inspection in 2017, Monumentenwacht discovered severe structural problems, including wood rot in the upper part of the bell tower. For safety reasons, the upper section, including the spire, was removed. Though plans were considered for restoration, the tower remains incomplete.
Virga Jesse Basilica with original spire
Artistic Treasures
The basilica houses numerous artistic and religious treasures:
The Virga Jesse statue, a 14th-century Gothic oak carving, which survived the Iconoclasm and the 1944 bombing.
Baroque altar crafted by Jean Del Cour (1631–1707), originally from the Herkenrode Abbey.
Marble tombs of abbesses Anna Catharina de Lamboy and Barbara de Rivière d'Arschot, by Artus Quellinus the Younger and Laurent Delvaux.
The confessional used by Valentinus Paquay, known as the "Holy Father of Hasselt."
Some of the basilica's treasures, including mantles and jewels for the Virga Jesse statue, are displayed at Het Stadsmus. Notable items include the silver ‘kleedje van de Morin,’ recognized as a Flemish heritage piece.
Organ
The organ, built around 1860 by Arnold Clerinx, was moved to the basilica in 1952 from the Saint Elisabeth Hall in Antwerp. It was restored in 2003.
Virga Jesse statue
Virga Jesse during the Seven-Yearly Festivities, 2017
Virga Jesse statue
Choir of the Virga Jesse Basilica, 2017
Virga Jesse Chapel, 2017
Tintinnabulum of the Virga Jesse Basilica
Conopeum of the Virga Jesse Basilica
Elevation of the Virga Jesse Church to a basilica in 1998 by Pope John Paul II
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican, or simply Saint Peter's Basilica, is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initially planned in the 15th century by Pope Nicholas V and then Pope Julius II to replace the ageing Old St. Peter's Basilica, which was built in the fourth century by Roman emperor Constantine the Great. Construction of the present basilica began on 18 April 1506 and was completed on 18 November 1626.
Hasselt is a Belgian city and municipality. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg in the Flemish Region.
The Basilica of Sacré Coeur de Montmartre, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica and often simply Sacré-Cœur, is a Catholic church and minor basilica in Paris dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was formally approved as a national historic monument by the National Commission of Patrimony and Architecture on December 8, 2022.
The Tree of Jesse is a depiction in art of the ancestors of Jesus Christ, shown in a branching tree which rises from Jesse of Bethlehem, the father of King David. It is the original use of the family tree as a schematic representation of a genealogy.
The Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar is a Catholic church in the city of Zaragoza, Aragon (Spain). The basilica's titular is the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of the Pillar, praised as "Mother of the Hispanic Peoples" by Pope John Paul II.
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Notre Dame, Indiana, is a Catholic church on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, also serving as the mother church of the Congregation of Holy Cross (C.S.C.) in the United States. The neo-gothic church has 44 large stained glass windows and murals completed over a 17-year period by the Vatican painter Luigi Gregori. The basilica bell tower is 230 feet (70 m) high, making it the tallest university chapel in America. It is a contributing building in Notre Dame's historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The basilica is a major tourist attraction in Northern Indiana, and is visited annually by more than 100,000 tourists.
The Basilica of San Petronio is a minor basilica and church of the Archdiocese of Bologna located in Bologna, Emilia Romagna, northern Italy. It dominates Piazza Maggiore. The basilica is dedicated to the patron saint of the city, Saint Petronius, who was the bishop of Bologna in the fifth century. Construction began in 1390 and its main facade has remained unfinished since. The building was transferred from the city to the diocese in 1929; the basilica was finally consecrated in 1954. It has been the seat of the relics of Bologna's patron saint only since 2000; until then they were preserved in the Santo Stefano church of Bologna.
The Parish Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo is a titular church and a minor basilica in Rome run by the Augustinian order. It stands on the north side of Piazza del Popolo, one of the most famous squares in the city. The church is hemmed in between the Pincian Hill and Porta del Popolo, one of the gates in the Aurelian Wall as well as the starting point of Via Flaminia, the most important route from the north. Its location made the basilica the first church for the majority of travellers entering the city. The church contains works by several famous artists, such as Raphael, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Caravaggio, Alessandro Algardi, Pinturicchio, Andrea Bregno, Guillaume de Marcillat and Donato Bramante.
The St. John the Baptist Archcathedral is the seat of the Archdiocese of Wrocław and a landmark of the city of Wrocław in Poland. The cathedral, located in the Cathedral Island, is a Gothic church with Neo-Gothic additions. The current standing cathedral is the fourth church to have been built on the site.
The Church of the Assumption of the Buda Castle, more commonly known as the Matthias Church, more rarely the Coronation Church of Buda, is a Catholic church located in the Holy Trinity Square, Budapest, Hungary, in front of the Fisherman's Bastion at the heart of Buda's Castle District. According to church tradition, it was originally built in Romanesque style in 1015, although few references exist. The current building was constructed in the florid late Gothic style in the second half of the 14th century and was extensively restored in the late 19th century. It was the second largest church of medieval Buda and the seventh largest church of the medieval Hungarian Kingdom. It is a historic building with an important history. Two Kings of Hungary were crowned within its walls: Franz Joseph I of Hungary and Elisabeth, and Charles IV of Hungary and Zita of Bourbon-Parma.
Altamura Cathedral, dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Altamura, in the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, in southern Italy.
The Oura Church or Oura Cathedral, officially the Basilica of the Twenty-Six Holy Martyrs of Japan (日本二十六聖殉教者聖堂), is a Catholic minor basilica and co-cathedral in Nagasaki, Japan, built soon after the end of the Japanese government's Seclusion Policy in 1853. It is named after the 26 Japanese Martyrs. For many years it was the only Western-style building declared a national treasure, and is said to be the oldest Christian church in Japan.
St. George's Basilica or the Basilica and Collegiate Parish Church of Saint George, also simply known as San Ġorġ in Maltese, is a historic Baroque church situated in the middle of Gozo, the second largest island in the Maltese archipelago, and is surrounded by a maze of old narrow streets and alleys. The church had been rebuilt numerous times during the Middle Ages. Today's basilica was built between 1672 and 1678.
Trento Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Trento, northern Italy. It is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Trento, and until 1802, was the seat of the Prince-Bishopric of Trent. It was built over a pre-existing 4th-century church devoted to Saint Vigilius, patron saint of the city.
Santa Maria del Pi is a 15th-century Gothic church in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the Plaça del Pi, in the Barri Gòtic district of the city.
The Basilica of St. Francis is a parish church and minor basilica in Viterbo, central Italy. The museological management of the church is run by the Polo Museale del Lazio.
The Santuario della Madonna Consolata is a Catholic minor basilica and Marian shrine in central Turin, Piedmont, Italy. Located on the intersection of Via Consolata and Via Carlo Ignazio Giulio, the shrine is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Consolation.
The Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of the Holy Rosary is a minor basilica in Fontanellato, Province of Parma, northern Italy. One can see the bell tower of the sanctuary near the Fidenza gate of the A1 autostrada. It is about 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of Parma.
The Basilica of St. James is a Gothic church in Levoča, Prešovský kraj, Slovakia. Building began in the 14th century. It is a Catholic parish church, dedicated to James the Apostle.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
