Sanctuaire Notre-Dame de Beauraing

Between 29 November 1932 and 3 January 1933, the Virgin Mary was said to have appeared more than thirty times to five children: Fernande (15), Gilberte (13), and Albert (11) Voisin, along with Andrée (14) and Gilberte (9) Degeimbre. On 29 December 1932, the children reported seeing Mary reveal her radiant heart—shining like gold and surrounded by beams of light. This image became central to her title at Beauraing: Our Lady with the Golden Heart, also known as Our Lady of Beauraing.

During the apparitions, Mary spoke to the children, identifying herself as the Immaculate Virgin, the Mother of God, and the Queen of Heaven. Her message included requests for a chapel to be built, for people to pray often, and for pilgrims to come to the site. She also promised the conversion of sinners.

Long before Church authorities officially permitted devotion in 1943 or recognized the supernatural character of the apparitions in 1949, large numbers of pilgrims were already visiting Beauraing in response to Mary’s call. The shrine of Our Lady of Beauraing developed gradually, beginning with the votive chapel—consecrated in 1954—and the creation of facilities to welcome pilgrims. Over time, additional places of worship were added, including the Rosary Crypt and the Upper Church.

In 1985, Pope John Paul II visited Beauraing, prayed in the garden where the apparitions were said to have occurred, met the visionaries, and celebrated an outdoor Mass. In 2013, the sanctuary church was elevated by the Vatican to the status of a minor basilica.