The Lourdes grotto in Berendrecht was made in 1927 and is located in the grounds of the Chapel of den Hagelberg.
The statue of Mary stands in a niche at a height of approximately 2 metres, with her gaze directed towards the heavens. The statue of Bernadette Soubirous is on the left-hand side of the grotto, and she is looking at the visitors. It is noticeable that she is not looking at the apparition. The statue of the visionary is damaged, as part of her left arm, including the hand, is missing. Benches are neatly arranged in front of the Lourdes grotto.
The grotto is surrounded by chapels and tall trees. The overall appearance is magnificent, partly due to the beautiful location of the Lourdesgrotto within the park.
A field chapel was built in 1732, and it contains a statue of Mary. This was initiated by Father Adrianus Verlinden (1672-1748) of the parish of Saint John the Baptist. In 1734, a chapel was erected, and it was placed on the open space known as Hagelberg. Since 1745, there has been a procession from the nearby Dutch town of Ossendrecht to the chapel. This takes place every year in the first half of September. The procession is known as the Berendrechtse Begankenis (pilgrimage).
The small park by the chapel was planted with lime trees in 1837 and later with oak trees. In 1906, the garden by the chapel was created with chapels depicting the mysteries of the rosary.
The chapel was enlarged and adapted in the Neo-Gothic style. This occurred in 1924-1925, from a design by architect Jan Sel (1888-1960). The chapel then became known as a small pilgrimage site of Mary. The 200th anniversary of Marian devotion in Berendrecht was celebrated festively in 1932. The statue of Mary was then crowned by Jozef Ernest Van Roey (1874-1961), Archbishop of Mechelen (1926-1961), Cardinal (1927-1961) and Metropolitan (head of an ecclesiastical province) of Belgium (1927-1961). In 2025, the chapel is in a dilapidated state and closed. Unfortunately, no work has been done to carry out timely deferred maintenance.
The court also features, among other things, an image of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897), who was canonised in 1925.
Address: The Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes is located between Bosstraat and Kapelstraat in Berendrecht, 20 km north of Antwerp.
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