Brussels is home to several cemeteries. One of them, the Cemetery of Laeken stands out in my mind.
In it sits the mausoleum of Léonce Evrard and his wife, Louise Flignot. The couple moved to Laeken in 1891. When his wife died, Léonce turned his creative skills as a marble worker into creating a one-of-a-kind memorial to their relationship.
He hired an architect to design the structure. He hired a sculptor to create a statue of a grieving woman.
That passion project results in an annual reminder of their love. When the summer solstice sun breaks through an opening in the top of the mausoleum, the light takes the form of a heart on the wall, just above the statue’s outstretched arm.
The magical and mystical moment takes place every year at noon on June 21. People still gather to catch a glimpse of this fleeting moment.
To get more history about this structure, check out “Sunlight Forms a Heart Inside This Couple’s Mausoleum, Symbolizing Their Eternal Bond.”
PHOTO CREDIT: The summer solstice sunlight beams into a specially-designed tomb at the Laeken Cemetery in Brussels. This is the one time a year the sunlight forms a heart in the tomb. (Peter Wullen, via x.com)
