Grotte Notre-Dame de Lourdes

Hidden in the charming district of Jette, Belgium, lies a serene sanctuary known as the Grotte Notre-Dame de Lourdes, or Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Lourdesdomein in the local language. This tranquil retreat, affectionately referred to as 't grotteke van Jette by locals, is a place of meditation and pilgrimage, steeped in history and spiritual significance. It encompasses a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes, a grotto, 14 Stations of the Cross, and 15 rosary chapels. The private domain is open to the public, offering a peaceful haven for those seeking silence, prayer, and reflection.

The History of Grotte Notre-Dame de Lourdes

The story of this sacred domain begins in 1913, when a new parish was established in the Esseghem neighborhood, straddling the borders of Sint-Pieters-Jette and Laken. The rapidly growing population of Jette had outgrown the existing Saint Peter's parish, prompting Cardinal Mercier to commission Michel Swalus, the assistant pastor of the Saint Peter's Church, to build a new church. A fervent devotee of the Virgin Mary, Swalus succeeded in dedicating the new church and parish to Our Lady of Lourdes. The church was consecrated on October 12, 1913, and the parish remained a daughter parish of Our Lady of Laken until 1924, when it became independent.

During World War I, the small church attracted numerous visitors seeking solace for their soldiers. On Easter Monday in 1915, a staggering four thousand pilgrims gathered, prompting Father Swalus to hold the service on a vacant plot of land next to the church. That very day, he decided to build a grotto on the site. The first stone was laid on July 14, 1915, and the Lourdes grotto was inaugurated on August 15 of the same year by Cardinal Mercier, in the presence of twenty thousand pilgrims. The grotto quickly became a popular pilgrimage site, as evidenced by a report from Karel van de Woestijne, who lived in Laken at the time.

Thanks to a generous donation, a calvary cross, 15 rosary chapels, and 14 Stations of the Cross were added to an adjacent plot of land in 1930. The Esseghem neighborhood continued to develop, and the church soon proved too small to accommodate all the faithful. Just before World War II, Father Swalus made plans for a new parish church. Although he passed away in 1943, his successor, Father Jozef Kuyl, continued the project. The first stone of the new Our Lady of Lourdes Church was laid on May 9, 1948, on Charles Woestelaan, near the Lourdes domain. The new church was consecrated by Cardinal Suenens in 1954, and the original church became the chapel of the Lourdes domain.

The Lourdes grotto attracted many Christians and pilgrims until the 1970s. However, the site began to decline in the 1970s and 1980s, and there were calls within the local church and political circles to repurpose the domain. A dedicated group of believers organized a protest, successfully halting these plans. The unexpected success of the protest led to the founding of the non-profit organization De Vrienden van het Mariaal Domein van de Grot in 1988. Their mission was to promote Marian devotion among Dutch and French speakers and to maintain the domain.

The Grotto

The Grotte Notre-Dame de Lourdes is a faithful replica of the Grotto of Massabielle in Lourdes, where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to Saint Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. This grotto in Jette can be considered a vera effigies (true likeness) of the original. The 1:4 scale replicas were crafted by a rock builder or rocailleur using reinforced concrete and cement, meticulously replicating the stone's plastic mass, rock folds, cracks, and openings. The statue of the Virgin Mary is placed in a rock crevice, imitating her appearance to Bernadette, with a statue of the kneeling Bernadette at the grotto's base. An authentic piece of stone from the Grotto of Massabielle completes the imitation in Jette.

The Lourdes grotto in Jette was constructed by contractor Grégoire, with rock formations created by rock builder Moens. Inside the grotto, you'll find a marble altar donated by King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth, featuring the Belgian coat of arms and the royal couple's initials.

The Grotto Chapel

After the construction of the new and larger Our Lady of Lourdes Church on Charles Woestelaan in 1948, the original neo-Gothic church on the domain was transformed into the grotto chapel. The stained glass windows, designed in the 1930s by master glazier Fernand Crickx, depict saints and biblical scenes from the lives of Mary and Jesus.

The Grotto Domain

During the interwar period, an adjacent plot of land was acquired, allowing for the creation of a sloping park with a Way of the Cross featuring fourteen stations, fifteen rosary chapels, and a calvary hill. The entire area is a fine example of cement rustic work by Octave Tondeleir, an architect-rocailleur from Vieux-Dieu Anvers (Mortsel-Oude-God).

Tondeleir also created the calvary hill with a faux wood railing at the back of the existing grotto. At the top stands a six-meter calvary cross with a bronze statue of Christ, crafted by Marcel Rau, an award-winning sculptor from Elsene.

The Significance of the Grotto Today

The private domain is managed by the non-profit organizations Pastorale Werken van Brussel West and De Vrienden van het Mariaal Domein van de Grot, founded in 1988. Volunteers primarily handle the maintenance and management of the domain and its spiritual activities. The sacred site is open to the public daily, offering visitors a place to walk, pray, and meditate. Inside the grotto, you'll find numerous ex-votos, such as handwritten notes, passport photos, crosses, and thank-you plaques. The domain's high points are the month of May and the Feast of the Assumption of Mary in August. The three-day celebration of the Assumption attracts hundreds of believers.