Halle Basilica

The basilica of Saint Martin at Halle was built between about 1341 and 1409 and is one of the more complete Brabantine Gothic churches in Belgium, with a large tower, a richly carved exterior and a set of apostle statues on the interior piers. It has been a pilgrimage church since the thirteenth century because of a wooden statue of the Virgin known as the Black Madonna, darkened by age and candle smoke, credited with saving the town during a siege in 1580 when cannonballs were said to have fallen harmlessly, and a collection of those cannonballs hangs in the church. The treasury holds a monstrance and reliquaries given by pilgrims including Habsburg rulers. The Hallerbos, famous for bluebells, is a short distance away.

What you actually see

• The Black Madonna - the pilgrimage statue darkened by age and smoke.
• Cannonballs hung in the church - the relics of the 1580 siege story.
• Apostle statues on the piers - carved figures through the nave.
• Brabantine Gothic carving - the decorated exterior of the tower and porches.

When to go

Year round. One hour. It closes during services. The treasury has limited hours. Combine with the Hallerbos in late April, when the bluebells are out and the town fills.

Honest expectations

It is one church and an hour covers it. The treasury opens irregularly. Interpretation is largely in Dutch. Halle itself is an ordinary commuter town with little else for a visitor.

Nearby

The Hallerbos is a short drive; Beersel Castle lies north.