Nos événements

The Capuchin Church belongs of course to the adjacent monastery of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. The reason to build a monastery in the middle of this former forest, one can situate at the end of the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) when the ‘Peace of Münster’ was signed.

The catholics in the neighborhood of Breda could no longer practice their faith due to mainstream Calvinism, and so some influential families searched for a neighborhood nearby where this would still be possible. The influential baron Jan de Wyse dug deep into his wallet to make the construction of a Capuchin Church possible. Maria Gabriëlla de Lalaing, wife of the Rhinegrave of Salm and Count of the city of Hoogstraten gave their permission to build a Capuchin Monastery on their land.

In 1687, the foundation stone of the monastery was laid, and in 1690 the church was consecrated by the Bishop of Antwerp. The church was enlarged twice, in 1726 and in 1750; because to this day, the Capuchin church remains a very popular religious attraction. This is undeniably due to the conviviality and closeness that is so characteristic to the Capuchins and their employees.

With the accompanying St. Mary’s Park across the street, the Capuchin Church is in addition to a parish and monastery church, also a pilgrimage church. The Marian devotions really took off ever since the Lourdes grotto received a place in the park. This Lourdes grotto was built at the request of provincial minister Jan Baptist Rutten of the village of Meerle, after a miraculous rescue from a storm at sea. To this day, the whole site exudes a Franciscan-Marian spirituality and both young and old find their place here in liturgical, devotional, and educational events.

Video : Kapucijnenklooster Meersel-dreef - YouTube