Page 7, 6th January 1961

6th January 1961

Page 7

Page 7, 6th January 1961 — BELGIUM
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BELGIUM

Just a hop across the Sea to
To most English holidaymakers Belgium means the Litoral — that stretch of golden sand extending from Le Zoute close to the Dutch border down to De Panne nestling against the French frontier, with Ostend presiding as Queen in the centre.
of course: both Bruges and Brussels receive a fair number of tourists, while many prefer the beautiful Ardennes country in the south
Differing
11 E existence of the Belgium of today is due almost entirely to the love of the people for the Catholic Faith.
There is no Belgian race—there arc two distinct racial elements, Hernings and Walloons, differing in language and customs, differing in fact in almost everything except their loyalty to the Church.
Even physical geography divides the country sharply. In the north and west lie the flat plains of Flan ders. people(' to he stolid Hemings, while southward and eastward stretches the softly undulating country of Wallonie, whose gallic people speak a language so akin to French that only an expert can distinguish it
Seaside
TwHA l Is it that unites these two separate peoples Into a democratic state un
dcr a constitutional monarchy? Their Catholic heritage, which was the principal reason for the separation of these provinces from the protestant Netherlands in 1830.
The popular Literal has a dozen resorts stationed along its forty miles of golden sand—Ostend, 1311nkenherge, Heyst, Knokke, De Panne, Middelkerke, etc..—each providing an ideal holiday, particularly for children and family parties.
Very close to the Belgian coast steads Bruges, only twenty minutes from Ostend or Blankenberge. This ancient town--once the capital of Flanders-is still largely untouched from mediaeval times Although its modern suburbs are rapidly growing, the old town with its picturesque canals is fortunately one of the best preserved in Europe The great attraction in Bruges is
the relic of the Precious Blond of Our Lord. brought from the Holy Land by the Crusader Thierry d'Alsace eight centuries ago. In early May there is a great annual Procession of the Holy Blood, when Bruges is en fete, and thousands of pilgrims and (unfortunately) sightseers throng the town to see the relic carried through the streets.
This great relic may be seen and personally venerated any Friday morning in the exquisite Chapelle du Saint Somme
1w •
ipers
ILE in Bruges you will of course visit the 1 ith century Cathedral of
the Saviour In one of the side chapels is a gilt casket containing the bones of Blessed Charles the Good, a Count of Flanders assassinated in 1127 A very worth while trip is to take a bus from Bruges station to St. Andre, where stands a large Benedictine Abbey.
On an excursion to the battlefields of World War I you will certainly visit Ypres (known to the troops as "Wipers") where the former cathedral has been completely reconstructed as before.
A tomb which escaped damage is that of an English priest who, driven from his native land during the Reformation found peace in Ypres, where he eventually became Bishop. His epitaph records that "he was a good bishop, and very well liked"
Brussels
BRUSSELS possesses no cathedral, for it lies within Mechelen's primatial see, but in its heart stands the venerable Basilica of St. Michael & St. Gudule.
On an eminence in the western suburbs rises the vast Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Koekelberg, a wonderful example of modern ecclesiastical architecture, in which the Blessed Sacrament is perpetually exposed.
Out in the suburb of Jette St. Pierre is the mother house of the Order of the Sacred Heart, in whose convent chapel is enshrined the holy body of the Order's founder, St. Madeleine Sophie Beret.
Another little-known saint of Brussels is Boniface, a monk from Cambre who became Bishop of Lausanne. His bones are encased in a black marble monument in the Church of Notre Dame de Is Chapelle.
A hero
APOPULAR excursion from Brussels is to Mechelen and Antwerp. At Mechelen (or Malines) in the venerable cathedral of St. Rombaut is the marble tomb of Cardinal Mercier. Belgium's heroic primate of World War 1. The principal church of Antwcrp was formerly a cathedral, too, but is now chiefly renowned for those two masterpieces of Peter Paul Rubens—the "Erection of the Cross" and the "Descent from the Cross"
Only 16 kilometres from Brussels by train or bus (but not among the advertised excursions) is the village of Hal, which cherishes Flanders' principal shrine to Our Blessed Lady, and for centuries an important pilgrimage resort.
In the east of Belgium. on the load to Germany, stands the great city of Liege, seemingly—like Rome—built on seven hills. The Cathedral of St. Paul and the
great modern basilica of St. Martin are both worth a visit.
Banneux
APLEASANT drive h. hits across the
Aerial view of Orval Abbey
undulating countryside brings us to the straggly village of Banneux on the heights of a marshy and sparse plateau.
It was in the cold winter of January, 1933, that Our Blessed Lady chose to visit this little place, appearing to a young girl, Marlette Beco, in the lane outside her family's cottage. "1 want a little chapel" Our Lady had requested on one occasion, and a little chapel she now has. Here is the little stream (the water now channelled through pipes) which Our Lady specifically reserved for herself, stipulating that it was to be "for all nations" and "to relieve the sick". .
The lovely stretches of the great Ardennes forest in the south of Belgium are a popular holiday area, with Dinant and Spa the principal resorts. This is the country of the Walloons, and Namur their "capital" a great city whose Cathedral of St. Atibain is modelled on St. Peter's, Rome.
Namur has too the tomb of Ste. Julie Billiart, foundress of the Notre Dante nuns, in the chapel of the Order's mother-house.
Beauraing
HERE in the heart of the Ardennes country is the little village of Beauraing, which can be reached by rail or by local bus. It was in 1932
that Our Blessed lady came here, appearing to five Belgian children under a hawthorn tree.
While in the Ardennes, why not spare a little while to visit the Benedictine Abbey at Maredsous? Here the monks maintain a great technical school, where students produce new ideas and modern designs in china, earthenware, metals, etc. Sample the monks' beer from their own brewery, and their own variety of cheese. Belgium has many other abbeys, too—each worth a visit. Orval, whose monks. like our own at Buckfast, have for years been steadily building their own great monastery; Tongerloo, Chimay, Achel. Charneux (in the village of Val Dieu), and Hekelgem (in the village of Affligem, to mention only a few.
Shrines
TWO cathedrals have not so far been mentioned. Ghent's St. Bavon possesses the great masterpiece of the brothers Van Eyck "The Adoration of the Lamb" Tournai
Cathedral, close to French frontier. is a massive ive-towered edifice dating from the eleventh century.
Belgium has quite a number of lesser-known shrines—you will find them for yourself in the small towns and villages, carved wooden caskets or gilded urns containing the bones of local saints. Each has its own festival day when the whole community is en fête.




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