In 1607, the famous architect-engineer Wenceslas Cobergher was commissioned to build a bastion of Catholic Counter-reformation: the whole city was to be an allegorical homage to the Mother of God, a hortus conclusus symbolizing her eternal virginity. Seven lanes lead towards the church. Its layout is based on a 7-pointed star, which stands for the abundance of God's mercy. In the church, the advent of Jesus is announced by six Old Testament prophets and realised by Mary who gives birth to the Messiah. In 1609 the first stone was put in place for the unique structure in highly developed baroque style, which was finally inaugurated in 1627. The streets and layout of the town itself were designed to mirror the shape. With its surroundings, it is now one of the best examples of the triumphalist architecture of Counter-Reformation in Belgium. The dome, adorned with 298 golden stars, symbolizes the cosmos. The main altar is said to be placed on the exact spot where the old oak tree once stood. Archduchess Isabella attended the inauguration-mass without her deceased husband. She came on foot from nearby Diest, which gave rise to the foot-pilgrimages that still survive from places as distant as Maastricht and Bergen op Zoom. She put all her gold and jewellery before the altar, a custom that persists to this day, in the form of coin throwing.
In 1607, the famous architect-engineer Wenceslas Cobergher was commissioned to build a bastion of Catholic Counter-reformation: the whole city was to be an allegorical homage to the Mother of God, a hortus conclusus symbolizing her eternal virginity. Seven lanes lead towards the church Its layout is based on a 7-pointed star, which stands for the abundance of God's mercy. In the church, the advent of Jesus is announced by six Old Testament prophets and realised by Mary who gives birth to the Messiah. In 1609 the first stone was put in place for the unique structure in highly developed baroque style, which was finally inaugurated in 1627. The streets and layout of the town itself were designed to mirror the shape. With its surroundings, it is now one of the best examples of the triumphalist architecture of Counter-Reformation in Belgium. The dome, adorned with 298 golden stars, symbolizes the cosmos. The main altar is said to be placed on the exact spot where the old oak tree once stood. Archduchess Isabella attended the inauguration-mass without her deceased husband. She came on foot from nearby Diest, which gave rise to the foot-pilgrimages that still survive from places as distant as Maastricht and Bergen op Zoom. She put all her gold and jewellery before the altar, a custom that persists to this day, in the form of coin throwing.