By 1609 a stream of pilgrims had funded this unique seven-sided baroque basilica whose domed exterior is distinctively dotted with gilded stars. Countless pilgrims still come to Scherpenheuvel from all over Belgium, particularly in May and on summer weekends, to pray for healing miracles and to pay homage to the minuscule Virgin statuette ensconced beneath a stylised tree-sculpture over the altarpiece.
