De Kapel van de Heilige Eik

The legend of Mary of the Sacred Oak
In 1406, a shepherd from Spoordonk saw a statue of Mary floating against the current in the Beerze river. He took the statue out of the water and placed it in a hollow oak tree. A villager who thought this was not an appropriate place for Mary brought the statue to St Peter's church in Oirschot. The next day, the figurine had disappeared and once again stood in the hollow of the oak tree. The villagers saw this as an indication from God to build a Mariakapel on the site of the oak tree. In 1612, this the miracle was officially recognised by the Catholic Church and the chapel became a popular place of pilgrimage.

History of the chapel
In 1606, canon Jan Daems provided 40 guilders to build a stone chapel. Until then, a simple wooden and mud chapel stood there.
The stone chapel was destroyed by the Protestants in 1649. The holy oak was also cut down at that time. However, the worship of Mary secretly continued at that spot. In 1854, another chapel was built on the old foundations. In 1906, the chapel was further extended.
Since 1967, it has been a national monument. Besides the altar with the statue of Mary, there are 14 stained-glass windows recalling events that should not be forgotten. The chapel is also the site of the Oirschot Commemoration of the Dead on 4 May.

Light a candle
The front part of the chapel is always open. You can light a candle in the rear part, which is open from sunrise to sunset.