Virga Jesse Basilica


The Virga-Jesse Basilica in Hasselt, Belgium, stands where a member of the Fraternity of Our Lady built the Clerkenkapel in 1334. This first building was replaced by a church in late Baroque and early Classical Revival style in 1727.
The second building was severely damaged by a V1 rocket in 1944, an attack which killed sixteen people. The rebuilt church was opened in 1951, and elevated to the status of basilica in 1998.