The Virga Jesse Basilica () is a

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's Forum (Roman), forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building ...

, formerly known as the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk, in Hasselt, Belgium. It dates back to the 14th century, approximately 1334. The original chapel was replaced with the current church, which was completed in 1731. Prior to being elevated to the status of a basilica by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

in 1998, it was considered an auxiliary church of the church of St. Quentin, now St. Quentin Cathedral. The church and neighboring houses were heavily damaged by bombing during World War II in 1944. The rebuilt church, now the third church to be built in the same place, was dedicated to the then-bishop of Liège in 1951. The basilica is best known for the 14th century statue of Virga Jesse, which is paraded through the streets of Hasselt every seven years.

References

Basilica churches in Belgium Churches in Limburg (Belgium) Churches completed in 1727 Buildings and structures in Hasselt {{Belgium-church-stub