Our Lady
Brusselsesteenweg 634
3090 Jezus-Eik (Overijse)
Church | 1690 | Baroque | Catholic Church
Map
Opening hours
01 April - 31 October
Mon -
Tue -
Wed 10.00 - 17.00
Thu -
Fri -
Sat 10.00 - 17.00
Sun 10.00 - 17.00
01 November - 31 March
Mon -
Tue -
Wed 10.00 - 16.00
Thu -
Fri -
Sat -
Sun 10.00 - 16.00
Also open on public holidays.
Church closed in bad weather.
Guided tour
Cultuurdienst Overijse, preferably on Wednesday : +32 2 687 59 59 - info@denblank.be
Religious offices
Description
In the Sonian Wood, there stood a peculiar and frightening oak tree. It was called the “Devil’s oak” and it played an important role in various local legends. A butcher from Brussels tried to put an end to these stories. On his deathbed he demanded for a statue of Jezus to be nailed to a neighbouring oak, thus creating the “Jezus’ oak” in 1636. The number of pilgrims increased over the years so the corresponding chapel was replaced by a Baroque hall church in 1650. The remains of the oak and the chapel can be found underneath the main altar.
At the time the church was built Jezus-Eik was nothing more than a remote hamlet. A residence for the rector of the church was built to stimulate the expansion of the village. The church and attached presbytery are protected heritage.
There is marbled, wood panelling on the side altars and on the walls of the choir. They hold paintings from the seventeenth century. The painting of Gabriel delivering the Message to Mary, behind the main altar, was donated in 1662 by the painter Andries de Licht. He wanted to express his gratitude for the healing of his daughter.
The wood panelling also holds a number of votive paintings, including thirteen children’s portraits. These portraits were painted out of gratitude for a healing or blessing, as a safeguard against illness and accidents or to commemorate a deceased child.
The miraculous statue of Mary with Child dates back to around 1550-1600. The statue was crowned by cardinal Mercier. The Baroque confessional (north) was a gift from Duke Ignatius of Arenberg (17th century). On the foot of the stone baptismal font (1756) is an embossing of Our Lady with Child.
The more recent stained glass windows (Steyart) depict the history of Jezus-Eik and the miraculous statue.
Sources
- Inventory Architectural Heritage
- www.zonien.com/jezus-eik
Photos
Remarkable elements
The stained-glass windows
The coats of arms of two Spanish governor-generals and those of two abbots of the Park Abbey in Heverlee are depicted on the first stained-glass window on the right. In 1868, two more stained-glass windows were installed: that on the north side of the rood loft, the "Visit to Elizabeth", is a gift from queen Marie-Henriette and empress Marie-Charlotte; that on the south side of the rood loft, the "Annunciation to Mary", is a gift from mayor Vandevelde from Overijse. During the restoration of 1924, Father Hoefnagels ordered ten stained-glass windows from the artist Edward Steyaert: they recount the history of the church.
Ex votos
Ex votos are donations that are not anonymous, with which the donor declares his devotion and gratitude for a healing or being kept from disaster. In Jezus-Eik, we mainly come across portraits, painted by unknown artists and artisans. Striking is firstly the close interwovenness of profane and religious elements in the paintings and secondly the manner itself in which the children are portrayed.
Remains of the oak
In 1637, a small statue of Our Lady is attached to an oak. Following a few miraculous healings, Jezus-Eik was changed into a place of pilgrimage. The pilgrims pillaged the oak and a loam chapel was built, with the oak in a wall. When the church was built in 1650, the altar was placed there. The altar's glass front provides a view of the oak and the old walls.
Floor
The church was paved in 1672 with white and blue tiles from Steenokkerzeel. From then onwards, no-one is buried inside the church. The current floor is still the original one.
Marbled wood
In 1924, Father L. Hoefnaegels began the restoration led by architect Paul Saintenoy. The nave has been changed drastically by wainscotting with twenty votive paintings. The choir's panelwork, the walls and the angulated cornices are repainted so everyone thinks that it is marble.
