Virgin of Spaloumont - Spa

This statue of Mary representing " The Immaculate Conception " and its hexagonal base were made of silver cast iron and installed in the Spaloumont district at the end of the 19th century by the Heynen family.

At that time, the site was in a very different configuration, on a small gravel embankment, overlooking the meadows of the old Chemin de Spaloumont and surrounded by abundant, wild vegetation. Today, this original site has the shape of an island at the top of the côte d'Annett e et Lubin.

In front of this small monument stands a stele with the following inscription:

"Welcome. Newton, Pascal, Bossuet, Racine, Fenelon, that is to say, the most enlightened men of the earth in the most philosophical of all ages and in the strength of their minds and their age believed in Jesus Christ".

This statue was made by the Godin firm in Guise, France, which specialized in the construction of stoves and various cast iron ornaments, including religious statues. Jean-Baptiste André Godin, a Fourierist social patron (1817-1888), was the founder of the familistère in Guise. A catalogue from that time can be found here.
Mr. Heynen , the initiator of this project, was a blacksmith and stove maker in the courtyard on the left, at the bottom of the rue Albin Body. Another cast iron Virgin, identical to the one at the crossroads, adorns Heynen's grave in the cemetery of Spa. Unfortunately, it has been stolen.

The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of the Catholic Church that states that Mary was conceived and born untainted with original sin .
Mary was conceived with an immaculate soul in the womb of her mother, according to tradition Anna. God had already applied to her soul the purifying effect of the future redemption through her Son Jesus Christ. According to Catholic doctrine, the special election of Mary entailed that she is the only person in all of history whose soul has never been stained with any sin , not even with original sin.
The dogma of the Immaculate Conception is often confused with another dogma : that of the virginity of Mary - this concerns the birth of Jesus, without prior intercourse with a/her husband.

Willem Vandenameele