Leuven (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The reconstructed chapel of Onze-Lieve-Vrouw ter Koorts now welcomes visitors to its premises in Leuven. The chapel serves within the KADOC, which stands for Documentation and Research Centre for Religion, Culture and Society of the KU Leuven.
The Onze-Lieve-Vrouw ter Koorts chapel in Leuven underwent seven years of restoration work to become fully restored in its 16th-century religious capacity. This project obtained support from the Flemish government as well as KU Leuven and the Ast Fonteyne Genootschap while it restored a former abandoned structure that showed signs of deterioration.
Upgrades at the chapel include the restoration of original colours that make the yellow facade stand out, along with contemporary heating systems and interior improvements.
KADOC will organise exhibitions and events inside the renovated space at the Heritage and Documentation Center, yet continues to provide the facility as an opportunity for outside groups.
Devotees visit the chapel because it retains its historical importance as a place of Marian worship after a miracle occurred when vandals failed to damage the statue of Our Lady.
The chapel will be known to the older Leuven residents. But it had been empty for years.
“There was little or nothing to do with it, cold and damp”,
says the chairman of KADOC, Bart Raymaekers.
“Now everything has been restored inside and out, there is heating, and the original colours are visible again. For example, the front facade is more yellow.”
KADOC wants to use the chapel for exhibitions and events.
“But external parties can also use the chapel,”
says Raymaekers.
“The restoration took 7 years and was made possible with the support of the Flemish government, KU Leuven and especially the Ast Fonteyne Genootschap, for which we are very grateful.”
“The restoration emphasises the commitment of KU Leuven and KADOC to not only preserve religious heritage but also actively use it as a meeting place for reflection, culture and dialogue. With the reopening of the chapel, Leuven once again has a valuable historical space that connects the past and the future,”
says rector Luc Sels.
What is the historical and cultural significance of religious heritage in Leuven?
Religious heritage sites numbering over 30 represent Leuven, which is located in the Flemish part of Belgium, where, among these sites, at least 15 originated during medieval times and the early modern period.
The Flemish Heritage Agency recorded that restoration work took place on 40% of Leuven’s historical chapels and churches during the past 20 years due to enhanced cultural preservation efforts. Religious heritage conservation received €12 million in funding from the Flemish government from 2015 to 2023, alongside an extra €3 million from KU Leuven through its cultural preservation activities.
Among the 12 surviving 16th-century chapels of Leuven, the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw ter Koorts chapel stands as one of the 12 that stem from Marian devotions. Archival documents show at least five chapels preserved due to reported miracles which took place within them.
A 2021 KADOC survey showed that 60 per cent of restorations of religious facilities across Flanders result in cultural or academic spaces, making this transition possible for the chapel.
The historical sites monitored by Visit Leuven receive more than 500,000 annual visitors, and religious landmarks represent 25% of these tourist numbers. The restoration initiative of the chapel exists as an action point of Leuven’s 2030 urban development blueprint that emphasises historic building adaptation.
Since 2010, the Ast Fonteyne Genootschap has donated at least €2.5 million toward eight different heritage restoration projects that occurred within the region. Multiple organisations collaborate on the historical preservation of Leuven to safeguard its cultural history and maintain functional spaces for upcoming generations of citizens.
