The Oostakker Basilica is a church at Slotendries, Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

.

In 1873 the Marquise of Courtebourne-de Nédonchel had a Lourdes grotto

Lourdes grotto

A Lourdes grotto is a term used to describe a replica of the original grotto at Lourdes or a grotto honouring Our Lady of Lourdes unassociated with the Lourdes site...

 built in the gardens of her château at Slotendries. People from Ghent

Ghent

Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...

 and other nearby locations asked to be allowed to visit the grotto and pray there, and it was claimed that in 1875 Pieter De Rudder

Pieter De Rudder

Pieter De Rudder, in many French books Pierre De Rudder, in English Peter De Rudder, was a farm labourer, born Jabbeke July 2, 1822, died March 22, 1898...

was miraculously healed of a compound fracture.

To accommodate the resulting increase in the number of pilgrims, a neo-Gothic church based on plans by E. Van Hoecke-Peeters (slightly modified by J.B. Bethune) was completed in 1876 and consecrated in 1877.