The wooden statue of the Virgin Mary half restored

It is generally accepted that the oldest mention of the pilgrimage site dates back to 1304. In that year, the Zichem chaplain Lodewijk van Velthem wrote in his Spieghel Historiael about a miraculous oak tree between Zichem and Diest, which had grown in the shape of a cross, which attracted numerous pilgrims. However, it is not known exactly when a statue of the Virgin Mary was hung on the oak tree and venerated in Scherpenheuvel. However, this must have been before 1514, because in that year a remarkable legend takes place. A shepherd from Zichem wanted to pick up the statue of Mary that was lying on the ground and take it home. When he had it in his hands, he stood as if petrified and could not move a foot. Because the shepherd stayed away for so long, his master went looking for him. When he found the unfortunate shepherd with the statue in his hands, the boss hung it back in the oak tree. From that moment on, the shepherd was able to move again. With the troubles at the time of the Reformation, this statue disappeared in an unknown way around 1580.
Residents of Zichem noticed that the pilgrims kept coming, despite the fact that no statue could be venerated. That is why in 1587 a new statue was hung on the oak, the current statue of Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel. From the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th century, we are quite well informed about the evolution of the pilgrimage site. It is during this period that Scherpenheuvel is developed into a prestigious sanctuary that is known beyond the country's borders. Source: www.scherpenheuvel.be

The photo is taken from the exhibition guide 'Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel in the Imagination - Four Centuries of Iconography, 2014' by Hans Geybels.

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