Church of the Assumption of Our Lady

Handel is the oldest Marian pilgrimage site in North Brabant. A miracle occurred in this region in 1220, in what was then still wild and desolate heathland. A small statue of the Virgin Mary was found there out of nowhere, inside a hawthorn bush. As a result, construction began on the chapel that once stood in Handel. 

But the oxen that brought the first cartload of stone refused to stop at the designated spot and continued on to the church’s current location. During the construction of the chapel, a holy spring gushed forth at a time when there was a severe shortage of water. This “holy spring” has since been credited with three recognized miraculous healings.

The current church is a simple building, just as the first chapel was. In 1743, the central section of the church (the nave) was rebuilt, and in 1902, side aisles and an extension to the tower were added. The miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary can still be venerated in a special Marian chapel. 

This text has been translated using AI.