The Virgin of Werpin (french: La Vierge de Werpin) is an tall statue of

the Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother ...

in Werpin,

Hotton Hotton (; wa, Houton) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg, Belgium. The municipality lies 12 kilometers from Marche-en-Famenne in the Ardennes and has more than 5,400 inhabitants. The river Ourthe crosses Hotton. ...

municipality in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. The statue itself is tall and stands on a pedestal of . In front of the statue stands a small prayer house. The statue was founded after an epidemic hit the village. The funds were raised by the local father Janus, who led the operation. The statue was designed by Louis Hoyoux and Auguste Fabert, and it was inaugurated on 2 September 1931 by the

Bishop of Namur The Diocese of Namur is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Belgium. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels. The diocese is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province in the metropolit ...

, Monsignor Thomas Louis Heylen, and father Janus in the presence of 10,000 pilgrims. It is said that the statue has always protected the village and its inhabitants. During the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...

in the Second World War, the Germans were in the nearby forest and were shooting at the village of Hampteau, from Werpin, where the Americans were based. Everyone survived the attack because they hid behind the Virgin of Werpin. The statue is on the route of the local ''Côte de la Vierge de Werpin'', popular as a cycling col. This long climb runs from the river

Ourthe The Ourthe (; Walloon: ''Aiwe d' Oûte'') is a long river in the Ardennes in Wallonia (Belgium). It is a right tributary to the river Meuse. The Ourthe is formed at the confluence of the ''Ourthe Occidentale'' (Western Ourthe) and the ''Ourthe ...

to the top of the hill, gaining of elevation at a maximum gradient of 6.7%.Climb by Bike
consulted 4 April 2013

References

Buildings and structures in Luxembourg (Belgium) Hotton {{sculpture-stub