Church of Our Lady Vosselaar

This neo-Gothic church was built in 1877 to a design by Pieter Jozef Taeymans. The old church tower has been preserved and dates from 1430. The church as well as the organ were recognized as a protected monument in 1975. In the church we find the miraculous statue of Our Lady, cut from pear tree and then gilded. According to legend, the statue was found around 1220 and has been venerated for many hundreds of years by the people of Vosselaar and pilgrims from the area. What we can say with certainty is that the statue dates from the 13th century. Even today, devout worshipers come to seek the help of the Comforter of the Oppressed. The Marian devotion declined sharply in the second half of the 20th century, but remained alive in the many neighborhood chapels. In the church is the restored Jacobus Verbuecken organ from 1739. Unique in this organ is the Voix Humaine 8v, it is the only original that has been preserved.

Current church dates from 1877.Historical interpretation:
In 1160 there was already a double parish: Vosselaar-Beerse. The tithe was then in the possession of the Abbey of Sint-Truiden. In 1187-1426 the rights of the parish belonged to the Abbey of Groot-Bijgaarden.When a miraculous statue of Mary was found in 1220, Vosselaar became a place of pilgrimage and Our Lady became the patron saint of the church. In 1426 the rights of the parish passed to the Saint Michael's Abbey in Antwerp.Around 1430 a larger church was built in Gothic style. In 1703 the church was significantly damaged. In 1776 the double parish was split into the parishes of Beerse and Vosselaar.In 1877 a new, neo-Gothic church building was built, designed by Pieter Jozef Taeymans. The Gothic tower was preserved.
Source: nl.wikipedia.org/wiki Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk_(Vosselaar)