Glass Window Church Of Our Lady Aarschot

This stained glass window in the southern beech of the Church of Our Lady in Aarschot was donated by Oscar Coomans in 1972 in memory of - what he calls - his miraculous escape from death on August 19, 1914.

The facts
On the evening of August 19, 1914, panic arose among the German troops who had captured the city of Aarschot in the morning after fierce resistance from the Belgian army. An out of control fire broke out. Commander Stenger is killed in the chaos and German soldiers take revenge on the civilians. Men, folds and children are transported to the Grote Markt. Houses are in a blaze. Over 170 men will be executed in the following hours.

Notary Oscar Coomans has hid with relatives, girls and servants in the cellars of his neo-Renaissance castle, the Kanterij, near the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk. But this makes little difference. German soldiers invade the basement. The men are pushed out, hands tied at the back with iron wire. The women are set aside. The German officer's message is clear: the men will be executed.

Outside, the flames of the church doors set on fire are high. Paralyzed by the thought of death, the men don't even think of escaping. Suddenly an officer with a hussar collar comes to them and signals to the soldiers to release the men. The officer will watch over the safety of the family the following night. This officer is apparently one of the few survivors of the German Hussar Corps that was destroyed by the Belgian soldiers at the Battle of Halen a few days earlier. The officer is a Polish Catholic who has difficulty identifying with acts of violence against an innocent population.

After the safety of the night, the survivors still have difficult days ahead. On the morning of August 20, the German artillery prepares to fire at the city. All citizens are chased out of the city, without any opportunity to get ready for flight. The Coomans family will find accommodation with family in Brussels. On October 20, 1914, Coomans returned to Aarschot, after being asked to organize the Food Aid Committee in Aarschot.

After the war, Coomans became Liberal Mayor of Aarschot and will hold this office, with short interruptions, until 1947.

The stained glass window.
The stained glass window represents the Annunciation to Mary. But at the bottom, the scene of "miraculous" salvation was modestly introduced. The work is by the famous Flemish glass painter Jan Huet (1903-1976).

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Source

• Text: Jan Rymenams
• Photos: Jan Rymenams