Beauraing, a small French-speaking town in Belgium,
is located in the heart of the Famenne region of Wallonia, in the province of Namur.
Visited by thousands of pilgrims every year, the town of Beauraing owes its fame to the events of the winter of 1932-1933: the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to 5 children in the garden of the Notre-Dame du Sacré Cœur boarding school run by the Sisters of Christian Doctrine in Nancy.
Between 29 November 1932 and 3 January 1933, the Virgin Mary appeared more than thirty times to Fernande (aged 15), Gilberte (aged 13) and Albert (aged 11) from the Voisin family, and to Andrée (aged 14) and Gilberte (aged 9) from the Degeimbre family.
On 29 December 1932, the Virgin Mary revealed to children her illuminated heart, like a heart of gold surrounded by great rays. This vision came to characterise Mary as Our Lady of the Heart of Gold, Our Lady of the Heart of Gold or Our Lady of Beauraing.
During her apparitions, Mary spoke to children. She presented herself as the Immaculate Virgin, the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven. She delivered her message, calling for a chapel, for people to pray a lot and to come on pilgrimage. She also promised to convert sinners.
Even before the Church authorities (Monseigneur Charue, 1943) authorised worship and the official recognition of the supernatural nature of the apparitions (1949), large crowds of pilgrims responded to the Virgin Mary's call and went to the site to pray.
The Notre-Dame de Beauraing shrine, built on the site of the Marian apparitions, began with the construction of the votive chapel (consecration of the chapel in 1954) and the fitting out of nearby buildings to welcome and accommodate pilgrims.
Over time, the site developed with the construction of other places of worship, such as the Rosary Crypt and the Upper Church.
Pope John Paul II visited Beauraing in 1985. He stopped off at the apparition garden to pray, met the visionaries and celebrated mass in the open air.
The sanctuary church was elevated to the rank of minor basilica by the Vatican in 2013.
Major maintenance and renovation work will be carried out in the near future to provide an even better welcome for pilgrims.
.
Welcome to the Sanctuary of the Holy Virgin of Beauraing.