In 1933, Belgium was visited by Mary twice

Belgium, a Christian land since early Christianity, has many shrines dedicated to Mary. Two of them are well-known both locally and abroad as they both originated from an apparition of the Virgin Mary in the same year, 1933, six years before the outbreak of World War II:

-      The shrine of Our Lady of Beauraing, near Dinant, where Mary appeared in 1932-33, dressed in white and crowned with a royal diadem, wearing a visible golden heart on her chest. The title she used for herself was “Mother of God and Queen of Heaven.” The apparition was officially recognized in 1949;

-      The shrine of Our Lady of Banneux, where Mary referred to herself as "Our Lady of the Poor." It is now an important place of pilgrimage, with more than 600,000 pilgrims visiting it every year, and certainly one of the major religious sites in Belgium. The apparitions of Banneux have been officially approved by the Church.

There are many other Marian pilgrimage sites in Belgium, including Our Lady of Hal and Our Lady of Montaigu, also very popular. These Marian shrines have seen an increase in visitors since the end of the 20th century.

The Marie de Nazareth Team