Once a year, on the day of the summer solstice, a phenomenon as discreet as it is magical takes place in the heart of the Laeken cemetery in Brussels. It lasts just a few minutes. You have to be there at the right time to see it. And for those lucky enough to have witnessed it, one thing is certain: no one remains indifferent. There are moments like this that seem to come straight out of a novel; moments so short, so elusive, you’d think they’d never happened. And yet…
Laeken Cemetery, like an open-air museum
The Laeken cemetery alone, like the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris, is well worth a visit. A veritable heritage gem, it’s brimming with sculptures, neo-Gothic chapels and mausoleums worthy of a film set. You’ll discover an original bronze of Rodin’s The Thinker, melancholy angels, mourners set in stone, and pathways imbued with an atmosphere as solemn as they are poetic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2f_eTGPnzg
This is also the resting place of some of the most important figures in Belgian history, such as Joseph Poelaert, architect of the monumental Palais de Justice, Fernand Khnopff, enigmatic Symbolist painter, and Maria Malibran, lyric diva adored throughout Europe. Between art, memory and silence, Laeken offers a timeless walk.
A heart of light, a love story and an unanswered question
And then there’s this grave. That of the Evrard-Flignot couple, built in 1920. Inside their chapel, at high noon on June 21, a ray of sunlight seeped through a precise opening and illuminated the hand of a statue in mourning. There, just for a few moments, a perfect heart appears, drawn by the light. A wink from heaven or a happy coincidence? Or is it the fruit of a love great enough to defy the laws of shadow and time? Legend has it that the husband asked the architect to create this scene every year, in memory of his wife. The staging is meticulous, poetic and moving.
The phenomenon only lasts a few minutes. To be lucky enough to observe it, you need clear skies (not always easy, as you’ll understand) and a little patience. But for the lucky few who get to see it, it’s a memory that stays with them for a long time. A heart of light in the kingdom of shadows.