The Brabant-born Willem Hellemons (1810-1884) was a parish priest in Oudenbosch for a long time, namely from 1842 until 1884. He had a great love for the Italian capital, as he had lived and studied in Rome for years. As a result, Willem Hellemons got to know St. Peter's and St. John Lateran very well. The priest decided to have a scaled-down version of St. Peter's in Rome built in the province of North Brabant.
The church building in Oudenbosch was designed by architect Pierre Cuypers (1827-1921). It is a scaled-down replica of St. Peter's Basilica, on a scale of 1:16. The façade of the large house of worship strongly resembles the front of St. John Lateran and was completed in 1892. The exterior façade was constructed under the direction of politician, professor, and architect Gerardus Jacobus van Swaaij (1867-1945). Although the basilica is considerably smaller than St. Peter's in Rome, its dimensions are impressive: 81 metres in length, 55 metres in width, and 63 metres in height. The construction of the church building took almost 30 years, from 1865 to 1892. The basilica showcases beautiful art with statues, paintings, and artworks. Many treasures can be seen, such as images of Mary and effigies of Saint Agatha, Saint Barbara, Saint Peter, and Pope John Paul II, among others. Additionally, there are statues of saints on the high altar. The Flemish sculptor (Jan) Frans De Vriendt (1829-1919) created more than 40 statues for the church. The baldachin is imposing and strikingly similar to that of St. Peter's in Rome. Much of the painting work by Oudenbosch native Cornelis Raaymakers (1890-1960) can be seen in the basilica. When viewing and approaching the large dome, his paintings appear very close. Furthermore, the basilica features a church organ from 1773, made by the German Christian Ludwig König (1717-1789) from Cologne.
In 1912, the church received the honorary title of basilica. In 1954, the Basiliek Preservation Foundation was established to ensure that the large building was maintained in good condition. In 1959, the necessary, extensive restoration began and was completed in 1987.
In 2016 and 2017, the crypt, situated beneath the basilica, was completely renovated. This allows for large groups of visitors to be welcomed. Furthermore, a museum housing church treasures has been established, along with a space to highlight the history of the basilica. The crypt also contains a shop where devotional items are available for purchase.
The basilica is a national monument.
The address of the basilica is Markt 57 in Oudenbosch. For up-to-date information, please visit the website www.basiliekoudenbosch.com.
For the feeling of the many visitors to the basilica, a piece of Rome lies in Oudenbosch.
