Saint Michael’s Church with the Miraculous Statue
Miraculous Statue of Our Lady of Groeninghe
This is the story of the miraculous statue: “The Statue of Mary of Groeninghe, renowned for many miracles, was found in a forest in the year 1281 by Pope Martin IV, and honored to Beatrix, Countess of Flanders, in the year 1285, who was then in Rome and brought it to Kortrijk.”
The legend indeed goes that Countess Beatrix brought this statue back from a pilgrimage to Rome. She is said to have received it from the Pope. This is doubtful, as other writings about the life of the countess do not mention a pilgrimage to Rome. Nevertheless, it remains a charming anecdote. This beautiful 13th-century Gothic ivory statue can be seen in Saint Michael’s Church. The connection between the statue and the Battle of the Golden Spurs is significant. Before the battle, the Flemish troops are said to have invoked the statue of Mary with the child. Their prayers were answered, and the Flemish troops defeated the French cavalry. Since then, this artistic sculpture has been called a ‘miraculous statue’ (wonderbeeldje). However, there is no certainty that the statue was already in Kortrijk at that time.
This church (Sint-Michielskerk) was built by order of the Jesuits between 1607 and 1611 by Jan Persijn, replacing the 14th-century Holy Spirit Chapel. It is a three-aisled basilica church with a semicircular choir to the north, flanked by two towers. The style is late Gothic. In 1947, a chapel with three domes was added to the church, where the miraculous statue of Our Lady of Groeninghe is venerated.
