Anonymous: The miracle of Amersfoort (1525)

(O.K. Parochie Heilige Georgius, Amersfoort, The Netherlands)

A painting made by an unknown Dutch artist. This painting shows an event known as "the miracle of Amersfoort". According to the story, a woman named Geertje Arends was going to the Dutch city of Amersfoort to become a nun in the saint Agnes monastery. She was carrying a small statue of the virgin Mary but considered to be ugly and dumped it into the water. Three days later, a servant girl named Margriet Albert Gijsen found the statue after she had several visions in which she was told to go the place where she found the statue. Margriet took the statue to her house and lit a candle next to it. The candle burned three times as long as all other candles and she told this to a confessor who placed the statue in the local church (in which it still remains). Because of this statue, the city of Amersfoort became a popular place of pilgrimage and according to a 16th century book about 550 miracles were attributed to the statue. The painting shows Margriet Albert Gijsen finding the statue under the ice with several people watching the event. The large church tower at the back is the 'The Tower of Our Lady' (aka 'Long John') was financed with the money from these pilgrims. the Dutch text at the bottom reads: "Int jaer ons heren 1444 opten kerstavont wert dit beelt / gevonden int water en is op sint stevens dach eerwerdich in die kerk ge / bracht" (= "In the year of our Lord 1444 this statue was found in the water on Christmas eve/ it was brought on Saint Stephen's Day (26 December) to the church". Painting from 1525.