| Page Views: 5,258 Last Visit to Kevelaer: August, 2005 | Kevelaer - Mater Fidelium by Diana75 - last update: Nov 23, 2005 |
THE CITY OF OUR LADY | Inside St. Mary's Basilica |
In the spirit of the place, I like to think that discovering the small city of Kevelaer was a divine sign.
21st of August, 2005 was the last day of the World Youth Days in Cologne and, shortly after the Sunday mass with the Holy Father in Marienfeld, we decided to seize this opportunity and visit also Netherlands and Belgium.
Shortly after passing the border between Germany and Netherlands we saw a traffic sign showing the way to Kevelaer.
K E V E L A E R…
Initially, none of us said anything.
We knew that Kevelaer is a place of pilgrimage visited by thousands of pilgrims every year, but we had no idea that it was on our way to Netherlands.
Although it was late in the afternoon, we decided to change our plan and stop for a while to see the beautiful Marian shrine of Our Lady of Kevelaer. |
|  | “Build me a chapel” In 1641, Hendrick Busman, a simple peddler, was on his way to Geldern. Arriving at the cross placed on this site he stopped for a prayer.
During his prayer, a mysterious voice coming from the cross gave him the following message: "Build me a chapel on this place".
Although he initially thought that it was only an imagination, he continued to hear the message on three different days.
With the permission of the Priest of Kevelaer, Busman started to build a small chapel that was finished in June 1642.
But, before finishing the chapel, the Holy Virgin appeared also to the wife of Hendrik Busman. During the night she saw a light near the chapel.
A short time before this event, she wanted to buy a portrait of "Our Lady of Luxemburg", made on a Copper plate, from two soldiers from Hessen (Germany).
After finishing the chapel, the copper plate was placed in the chapel and many curious people came to see it.
The story of the miraculous apparition of the Holy Virgin traveled fast and Kevelaer was turned into a place of Pilgrimage. |
Pilgrim to Kevelaer People from all over the world come to Kevelaer every year for prayer, contemplation and the blessing of our Lady of Kevelaer.
The annual pilgrimage season begins on May 1st with the opening of the pilgrimage portals of the basilica and ends on November 1st.
It is said that more than 800,000 pilgrims come to Kevelaer every year for praying to the icon of the "Trosterin der Betrubten" or "Consoler of the Grieving". | | |
> Add to your Custom Travel Guide [What's This?]
Diana75's Kevelaer Travel Tips
| Overview | Things to Do
Tips: 12 - Photos: 19 | | | Restaurants
Tips: 1 - Photos: 1 | Hotels & Accommodations | | | | Nightlife | Off The Beaten Path
Tips: 4 - Photos: 7 | | | | Tourist Traps | Warnings Or Dangers | | | | Transportation | Local Customs | | | | Packing Lists | Shopping
Tips: 2 - Photos: 3 | | | | Sports Travel | General Tips |
 Diana75's Kevelaer Travelogues | | | |
|
 Comments for Diana75 about Kevelaer | | | | |
Holamerk68 Wed Apr 18, 2007 11:00 UTC
Hello you has great Side from Kevelaer Christian | matcrazy1 Thu Feb 8, 2007 13:14 UTC
Great descriptions of the beautiful basilica. I also like pictures of flowers in the travelogue. | Kuznetsov_Sergey Wed Jan 31, 2007 16:26 UTC
St. Mary's Basilica and our Lady of Kevelaer attract pilgrims knowingly... Never knew about it. Beautiful small chapels. Thanks Diana for sharing! | LoriPori Tue Oct 10, 2006 21:05 UTC
I especially liked the St. Mary's Basilica with thw wonderful stained glass windows. Lovely page Diana. |
|
|
email me
add as friend
