Banneux, Belgium: Apparitions of Our Lady as “Virgin of the Poor”
About Banneux:
The small town of Banneux is in the French-speaking part of Belgium, 50 miles east of Beauraing. The villagers vowed in 1914 to consecrate their town to Our Lady if it escaped the ravages of war. Banneux was unharmed during World War I, and the village was thereafter called “Banneux Notre Dame.”
About the Apparitions of the Virgin of the Poor:
Beginning on January 15, 1933, Our Lady appeared to, Mariette Bero, twelve years old, in a poor section of the country. Calling herself the “Virgin of the Poor”, she said she had come to console the sick and the suffering. “I am the Mother of the Redeemer, the Mother of God,” she stated.
There were a total of eight apparitions to Mariette with the final one occurring on March 2, 1933. The Virgin Mary said, “I am the mother of the Savior, Mother of God” and repeated, “Pray hard.”
Mariette passed from this life to the next in 2011. After the apparitions, many healing miracles associated with the spring at Banneux were reported. The site of the apparitions at Banneux was officially approved by The Church in 1949.
An interesting detail relating to the later apparitions of Our Lady of All Nations at Amsterdam, is that on January 18, 1933, Our Lady told Mariette, ‘Put your hands into the water. (They were standing near a spring) This spring is reserved for me.’ The next day, Our Lady said, “This source is reserved for All the Nations.”
We celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Banneux on January 15.
You can find details of the apparitions here.
About the Shrine in Banneux:
Today the shrine continues to receive hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. You can visit the Chapel of the Apparitions where Our Lady appeared and see the spring. In addition there are Stations of the Cross and several small chapels located on the grounds.
There are Masses scheduled every day in various languages and Blessing of the Sick on Friday afternoons. There is adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every day except Friday, Confessions, Rosary and Vespers.
Traveling to Banneux:
Banneau is small, almost a hamlet, and is located just southeast of the town of Liege. There are trains almost hourly from Brussels Central taking from about 1 to 2 hours depending on which train you take. There are also a few trains from Bussels-Midi. These are the high-speed Thalys trains that require seat reservations. The Thalys trains also serve cities such as Paris. Travel time to or from Paris on these trains is about 2 hours (Paris Nord Station).
From the train station in Liege you take a bus, it is about 40 minutes to Banneux. Liege also has an airport, although there are few international flights.
Address: Rue de l’Esplanade, 57, B- 4141 – Banneux N.-D. (Sprimont)
GPS coordinates: 50° 32′ 19.4280” N, 5° 44′ 47.7168” E
Tel: (+32) 04/360.02.22
email: see website below for contact information
Click here for the official website of the Shrine of Our Lady of Banneux.
hello,
What is the best and cheapest route from Paris? I would like to visit the Shrine on a day trip only. Are you open on 30th of December? Thank you so much.
-Karen
You should email the Shrine directly….try this email.
The best and cheapest way is by train directly from the airport to Liege and then bus to Banneaux. The train ticket also serves as your bus ticket. Trip takes about two hours and cost is around 53 euros.
What is the best cheap way to come/ travel from Brussels Airport to banneux shrine