Build me a chapel

With these words the story of Our Lady of Kevelaer starts about 300 years ago.
Around Christmastime in the year of our lord 1641,
a pedlar named Hendrik Busman, was on the way from Weeze to Geldern.
At a so called "hail-cross" on the moor of Kevelaer he stopped for a prayer.
Nowadays there is the chapel of mercy on the place where the Hail-cross stood.
Suddenly he heared a mysterious voice coming from the direction of the cross,
giving him the following message:
"Build me a chapel on this place"
Like most Dutchmen he was a cold harted man an at first he did not pay much attention to it.
But on three different days after the first time he heared the voice again.
With permission of the Priest of Kevelaer he, starts to build a small chapel.
Shortly after easter in 1642, the Holy Virgin appears to the wife of Hendrik Busman.
At night she does see a bright light near the small chapel of Our Lady of Luxemburg.
Her story was confirmed by a guard who was on his nightly patrol.
He confirmed he saw a strange dright shining light at the House of Hendrik Busman.
A short time before the Apparition two soldiers from Hessen (Germany) tried to sell her a portrait
of Our lady of Luxemburg (made on a Copper plate).
When Hendrik Busman heared this story, he was sure that this was the confirmation of his heavenly assignment.
He ordered his wife to find this copper plate and buy it for him. She manages to buy it.
The portrait of our lady of Luxemburg (called the comforter of the sad people)
was used during the plage by the people to honour and pray.
With the most dedication Hendrik continues the building fo the chapel.
On the first june 1642 the chapel is finished.
The priest of Kevelaer named Johannes Schink placed the copper plate in the chapel.
The potrait now called the statue of mercy was not big but just a small portrait (7,5cm x 11cm).
The text on the portrait says "original picture of the mother of Jezus,
comforter of the sad people, famous because of the miracles in Luxemburg and honoured by many".
The same day the plate was placed many curious people came to see the chapel.
The story of the miraclulous apparition and the message of the Holy Virgin travels fast.
Kevelaer was turned into a place of Pilgrimage.

On the eight of september 1642 the celebration of the bearth of Mary,
three people called Reinier and Margaretha van Volbroek and their son Peter who was ill(from Nassum
near Kleve) went on a pilgrimage to Kevelaer.
Peter was lame and could not walk. His parents did everything to cure him but no medicin seemed to help him.

At least they went to Kevelaer, for prayer to our lady of Luxemburg, to cure their son.
Two days after their visit, Peter is able to walk again without any problems and cured completely.

In the year of our Lord 1643 the first procession toke place.
It starts in the village of Rees near Emmerich. A large group of pilgrims goes walking,
(singing and saying prayers) towards Kevelaer.

In 1643 another miracle happens. The mayor of Huissen (Holland) confirms that a woman was cured
(after two visits to thew chapel of Kevelaer) miraculously from severe wounds on her legs.
This miracle was written down by the secretary of the city of Huissen on 13th of august 1643
In 1643 the building of a new pilgrimage church was started.
The church still exist and is called the chapel of candles.

The Chapel of Candles
In the Chapel of Candles you can see some very large candles which were offered by pilgrims.
The shield inside the chapel tell about the pilgrimages and their history.
In 1654 the old chapel which was build by Hendrik Husman had been replaced by a new chapel.
This chapel is called the chapel of Mercy. At the north side of the chapel there is a hole in the wall.
Through the hole you can see the statue from the street side.

A lamp on the left side of the altar contains a dish carried by three pigeons.
The light of the lamp is called the light of peace. It was brought from Lourdes,
first to Altötting and then to Kevelaer in 1949.
The three pigeons do symolize the three places of pilgrimage (Lourdes, Altötting and Kevelaer).
A snake is watching the light. The message of this image is that we must pray and continue to pray for peace.

Between 1858 and 1864 the Basilica of Mary was build.
A house for Priests (Oratorions) was build in 1647.
There is also a stations of the cross which was build in 1889.
In Kevelaer there is also a park called "the park of Mary". In the park there is a war memorial.

Kevelaer is a place of pilgrimage visited by thousands of pilgrims every year.
They come from all over the world looking for comfort and the blessing of our Lady of Kevelaer.