Onze Lieve Vrouw van Lourdes church

On 15 August 1932, the parish of Our Lady of Lourdes was founded in 'Ginderdoor'. Later on, this Maria parish in the municipality of Lieshout would be given the appropriate name of Mariahout. The parish boundaries are somewhat different from the municipal boundaries. Several inhabitants of Veghel, St. Oedenrode, Beek en Donk and Nuenen also belong to our parish community.

The church was consecrated by Msgr. Diepen on 10 July 1933. Pastor Jacobus van Eijndhoven was the building pastor of the church and the founder of the village Mariahout. The architect of the church was Philip Donders from Eindhoven.

Already in 1935 a Lourdes grotto was built and the procession park was laid out. In the fifties and sixties this grotto was visited by many pilgrims. Later on, the building fell into disrepair. In the nineties, a plan was made to rebuild the grotto. On 30 May 1999, the new Lourdes grotto was solemnly consecrated.

The Sisters of Mercy from Ronse (Belgium) came to Mariahout in 1947 and occupied the top floor of the presbytery for a few years. In 1949, the convent 'Mariënhof' was ready for occupation. The girls' school 'St. Bernadette', which was built at the same time as the convent, could be used for teaching. The St Bernard School (1930), which used to provide mixed education, became the boys' school. On the grounds of the church, a youth centre was built in 1965 (later called the 'Neighbourhood House') in the interest of the youth.

Bust of Pastor van Eijndhoven in the garden of the church

In the church we find some noteworthy works of art. The organ, of which only later was known that it was a monumental instrument, was built in 1866 by organbuilder/ mayor Franciscus Cornelis Smits sr. It is one of the smallest organs made by this masterbuilder and therefore very special! This organ was originally built for the St. Trudo church in Strijp (Eindhoven). In 1920, the organ was moved to the Antonius van Padua church in Eindhoven and in 1933 this beautiful instrument was placed in the new church in Mariahout. In 1985, the monumental organ was thoroughly restored and placed in the front of the balustrade.

The well-known artist Martin Roestenburg has left our church several works of art: the mural on the back wall in the presbytery (1948), the stations of the cross (1942/1946), and the stained-glass window in the Maria chapel with the image of Bernadette (1949). Above the presbytery hangs the angelus bell with the name "Ave Maria" (111 kg. 1946). The swinging bells in the tower have the names: 'Ave Maria' (500 kg. 1950), 'Ave Bernadette' (286 kg. 1949). All bells have been re-hung. The Germans had removed the first bells from the tower during the war (Oct. 15, 1942) to turn them into weapons.