History of the Chapel

History of the Chapel

The history of the Chapel goes back to the “Chapelle du Saint-Sacrement de Miracle”, built in 1455 in the Rue de Sols (Stuiversstraat) in the center of Brussels.

In the course of urban development in the 20th century, it had to make way for the construction of the Central Station. The original Chapel (together with the adjoining convent belonging to the religious order of the Dames de l’Adoration Perpetuelle) was reconstructed at its present location in the Rue Van Maerlant and, in 1908 it opened for worship.

 

In 1974, the elderly nuns decided to sell the whole group of buildings (today the main building accommodates the European Commission’s library and visitor’s center.

Thanks to the initiative of many people coming together – European civil servants and others involved in founding the European Union, religious and lay people, different Christian churches, and civil institutions – the Chapel was saved from demolition to maintain it as a space of prayer and celebration.

In 1999, the meanwile derelict Chapel was purchased by the non-profit international association Aisbl Chapelle pour l’Europe. The purchase of the Chapel, its restoration and conversion, which cost 1.6 million euro, were financed by donations from many private individuals, the Jesuit Order, the European Catholic Foyer, the La Viale-Opstal Community, the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (COMECE), several Protestant Churches, the Conference of European Churches (CEC), the King Baudouin Foundation, the National Belgian Lottery and companies such as Suez, Ciments d’Obourg, to name but a few.