The National Basilica of the Sacred Heart (; ) is a Catholic minor basilica and parish church in Brussels, Belgium. It is dedicated to the Sacred Heart, inspired by the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur in Paris. Symbolically, King Leopold II laid the first stone in 1905 during the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of Belgian independence. The construction was halted by the two world wars and finished only in 1970. Belonging to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mechelen–Brussels, it is the 17th largest church by area in the world and the largest in Belgium.
Located at the head of Elisabeth Park atop the Koekelberg Plateau, between the municipalities of Koekelberg and Ganshoren, the church is popularly known as the Koekelberg Basilica (; ). The massive brick and reinforced concrete structure, in Art Deco style of neo-Byzantine inspiration, features two thinner towers and a nearly as high green copper dome that rises above ground, dominating Brussels' north-western skyline. It is served by the tram stop / (on line 9).
History
Inception
In the mid-19th century, King Leopold I dreamed of turning the uninhabited Koekelberg Plateau in north-western Brussels into a royal residence. Following his death, his son, King Leopold II, envisaged building a Belgian Panthéon dedicated to great Belgians there. Inspired by the French Panthéon in Paris, it was intended to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Belgian independence. However, the king dropped this project due to a lack of funds and of enthusiasm from the population. It is nonetheless still attested today by the two large avenues adjoining the site: the / ("National Glories Avenue"), and the / ("Pantheon Avenue").
In 1902, Leopold II visited the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur of Paris, and inspired by it, decided to build a pilgrimage church back home, a national shrine to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. While he saw the opportunity to build his national Panthéon at the Namur Gate in Ixelles, Leopold II accepted that the land of Koekelberg be ceded by the to the Catholic Church with the intent of building the national basilica there instead. The deed of donation of of land was signed on 12 December, and confirmed on 31 December through a royal decree.
Neo-Gothic basilica (1905–1914)
The initial vision of the Leuven-based architect was a sumptuous neo-Gothic basilica, inspired by the "ideal cathedral" of French architectural theorist Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. Langerock envisaged an edifice bristling with six towers of a hundred metres or more, the highest of which would have stood at above the crossing.
Leopold II laid the first stone on 12 October 1905, during celebrations commemorating the 75th anniversary of Belgian independence. Foundation works began in 1909, but the project was delayed due to the king's death on 17 December 1909. Financing the basilica's construction also soon became a problem, so only the foundations had been finished when World War I broke out. In his pastoral letter for Christmas 1914, Cardinal Mercier gave the basilica a new meaning: