 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
Sweet Dear Lady of Den Bosch (Zoete Lieve Vrouw van Den Bosch) is an old Marian Statue that has been venerated since the year 1380. It is located in the Cathedral Basilica of St. John, in the same city. After the fall of Den Bosch, also called "sHertogen- bosch" (1629) the Shrine was moved to Brussels (Belgium) for safe keeping, and returned to Den Bosch in 1853. I have visited this beautiful Gothic cathedral several times as I lived in the Netherlands for 14 years, but not recently. On a cold day in January 1380 a young worker wanted to start a small fire in one of the work sheds. Searching through old paper and other materials to make a fire, he discovered an old wooden statue, covered in mold. It was about 1.15 meter high (about 3.8 feet), and cut out of wood from an oak tree. He didn't know it was a statue of the Blessed Virgin, because the child on her left arm was missing. Probably no one knew where it belonged, and no one has declared it missing. The young man took up an axe to cut into the statue when the owner of the shed came in and restrained him from doing so. "Poor thing", he called out, "what are you trying to do! Don't you see this is a statue of the Mother of God?" Scared, the young worker fell on his knees, and asked God and Mary for forgiveness, and promised to repair the statue. On Holy Thursday, he brought the statue to that part of St. John's Church that has already been completed, to place it with the other statues there. Other people opined that the statue was old and decrepit. With indignation, the young man answered: "You too are old and decrepit," and left the statue be. Later on Good Friday, the other statues were taken back to their rightful place, but the Maria statue stayed back alone. Where could one place it, what to do with it? A pious man, named Brother Wouter, took care of it. He placed the statue on the St. Michaels Altar, in a chapel, behind the high altar, at the South side. About a half year later, a priest who frequently said Holy Mass on that Altar, had the ugly statue removed and placed in a corner. Brother Wouter was sad about the plight of the statue and asked if he could give it as a present to the Sacristan. When he wanted to remove the statue in 1381 and take it home, it felt very heavy so he had to leave it where it was. No one realized this, and the statue was moved to the "Our dear Lady Choir" at the northside of the high altar, where it was sometimes found next to, or behind. Shortly after Pentecost 1381, the Mary Choir was to be painted and brother Wouter asked the painters to also improve the statue. But the painter refused. The painter's son, however, applied some yellow paint to the cheeks of the statue and brother Wouter added some more color. The statue actually looked worse, so that it was moved from corner to corner in the church and Wouter was afraid to say anything in protest. It was so ugly. But, Wouter, didn't stop thinking about the statue, when he took possession of a piece of linen with flowers were woven in the motif. So he decided to use the cloth to make a mantle for the statue. One night, however, the thought came to him that he must first locate the little child. A Miss Oda, who tried to help him, talked about the project so long, that Wouter decided to do it himself. By coincidence, he walked, days later, through the Orthenstreet, and he saw a few children play with a small statue of Jesus. He took it from the children since they were ruining it, and placed it on the left arm of the statue. Some agreed that it belonged there and others felt different. Source: www.broederschapzoetemoeder.nl (Rough translation by FSS) |
