Mary has been venerated in Westrozebeke since before 1300. After the Battle of Westrozebeke on 27 November 1382, in which the Flemish, led by Philip van Artevelde (1340-1382), were crushingly defeated by a French army of King Charles VI (1368-1422), the Mad, the town became a well-known pilgrimage site. One legend tells of the first miracle. A red thread around the town protected the inhabitants from the violence of war. This thread was secured in seven places, to which seven chapels on the Ommegang refer. Since the great battle in 1383, Our Lady of Westrozebeke has been venerated there more than ever.
A second miracle occurs in 1916. A ship travels from Folkestone in England to Dieppe in France, and during the journey, the boat is torpedoed. The Westrozebeke residents on board pray to Mary and survive the shipwreck.
It is very disappointing for the residents of Westrozebeke that, despite the two miracles of 1382 and 1916, the Bruges diocese has not chosen Westrozebeke for the construction of a basilica. This grand house of worship will rise in nearby Dadizele.
The current Saint Bavo's Church has a long history. There is mention of an initial stone church as early as the 12th century. In 1383, one year after the major battle, a small statue of Mary from a forest chapel is brought to the church. Marian devotion begins and grows ever larger in scale. In 1566, during the iconoclasm, the church is destroyed, and the small statue of Mary suffers the same fate. In 1584, the church is restored, and there is a new statue of Mary, which still stands in the church today.
Around 1740, the church is replaced by a larger building. During the First World War (1914-1918), Westrozebeke is completely destroyed, and the church also becomes ravaged. The building is given other functions, first as a hospital and then as a stable. However, the statue of Mary is safely brought to the Saint Michael's Church in Roeselare on 9 March 1915. A second move of the statue occurs on 19 November 1917 from Roeselare to Hamme. On 1 June 1919, the statue of Mary is back in Roeselare. On 25 April 1920, the monumental statue of Mary is returned and placed in a temporary church. In the 1920s, Westrozebeke, devastated by the war, is rebuilt.
The current Sint-Bavo Church was built between 1920 and 1923 to a design by Dugardyn (1889-1962) from Bruges. On 13 June 1924, the statue of Mary was ceremonially placed in the Sint-Bavo Church.
Westrozebeke is located in West Flanders, near Roeselare and Staden.
