Our Lady of Flanders is a Marian song written by August Cuppens (1862-1924) and set to music by Lodewijk de Vocht (1887-1977). It is dedicated to a statue of the Virgin Mary of the same name.
Text Love gave you a thousand names Great and noble, beautiful and sweet But none that makes the hearts of the Flemish rejoice As highly as the name, O Virgin Mother, Which you bear in our little land. He sounds cleaner than all d'andren. Our Lady of Flanders (bis).
Where people go along Flemish roads Old farm, house or stump, Do you meet you, Mary, Is your image on display Smile at us from lime green Wreath of flowers or happy festoon May it never change here O thou Lady of Flanders ren (bis)
Stay enthroned in the Flemish heart Like the highest queen Living like the best mother In every Flemish household Assist us in all distress, Now and in the hour of death Us, your children, and also d'and'ren Dear Dear Lady of Flanders (bis)
To arise The song was composed in 1910 at the request of the Jesuit fathers of Ghent, more specifically Father Jozef Axters. The question was asked in the context of the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the papal coronation in 1860 of the statue of Our Lady of Flanders. This 2.75m white marble statue by the Antwerp sculptor Jan-Baptist De Cuyper (1807-1852) dates from 1846 and was donated by damsel d'Hane-Steenhuyse - de Potter and placed in the recently built Jesuit church in the Posteernestraat in Ghent. On the occasion of this celebration, this Notre Dame des Jésuites was renamed Our Lady of Flanders . (Source: Wikipedia)
Many melodies of Lodewijk de Vocht are still being sung in churches across the Netherlands and Belgium; some of his works are standard repertoire. Great to see an arrangement for Onze Lieve Vrouw van Vlaanderen.
I am so happy with this arrangement. The song is sung every year in the cathedral of Antwerp when the statue is taken in procession in around the cathedral. This is every time a spectacular and moving experience!
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