Discover the Lourdes Cave in Schilde: A Historical Heritage

In Schilde there is a Lourdes grotto next to a former Mission House that has a long history. The first building of the Mission House was built in 1910-1912. It was built with the support of, among others, Baron Charles Marie Joseph Ghislain Gillès de Pélichy (1872-1958), lawyer, scientist, member of the National Assembly and senator, and Baron Henri Marie Jacques Hyacinthe van de Werve – Schilde (1844-1924), mayor of Schilde (1871-1924).

Lourdes Cave in Schilde on the Brasschaatsebaan

In 1912, the mission house was home to fathers of the congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, also known as Scheutists. The name “Scheutist” refers to the Scheut neighborhood in Anderlecht, where the congregation was founded in 1862 by Theophiel/Theofiel Verbist (1823-1868). The mission house then became a sanatorium, where especially sick mission fathers were cared for, suffering from tuberculosis. Later, the mission house became a nursing home for elderly fathers. Sister missionaries of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, also known as the Sisters of the Hunt, ensure that the fathers receive medical care. They have been doing this for many decades. These ICM (Immaculati Cordis Mariae) sisters have their headquarters in the Mission House De Jacht in Heverlee, near Leuven. This congregation was founded in 1897 by the Flemish religious Marie-Louise De Meester (1857-1928). Due to the declining number of religious, the last fathers will leave the mission house of Scheut in 2024.

Statue of Mary in the Lourdes grotto in Schilde

The Lourdes Grotto was built in 1913 on the orders of the priests. The image of Mary was replaced in 1933. The statue of visionary Bernadette stands in front of the Lourdes Grotto. There are no candles lit in the Lourdes Grotto. There are benches in front of the Lourdes Grotto. Many visitors take a seat here to pray to Our Lady and/or to let go of their worries.