The Gentle (in dutch i.e. “Zoete” = Sweet) Mother or Gentle Lady of the city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch/Den Bosch is one of the mercy statues of Mary in The Netherlands. It is a main center point of a pilgrimage. Since 1380, Mary of ‘s-Hertogenbosch/Den Bosch is being honored in St. John’s Cathedral of the town. The Holy Mother statue worship is unique because her lack of appeal is the reason for her worship.

According to legend, in January 1380, the neglected statue was discovered during the building of the Cathedral. It was found between a stack of shelves by a young worker at the cathedral who was looking for firewood. When he started to chop the statue into pieces, he was prevented from doing so by his boss who saw that it was an old statue of Mary. On “Holy Thursday” the worker placed the statue of Mary near the altar before the body of Christ. When this altar and surrounding chapel area were cleared the next day, the old statue remained alone. A monk, brother Wout, brought the statue to the altar of Saint Michel in one of the radial chapels behind the presbytery. The canon who was there reading mass every day took the Statue away after a short time, and brother Wout asked the canon if he was allowed to take the statue elsewhere. However, it had- all of a sudden – become very heavy. Than it was to be placed in the Mary Chapel, invisible behind an altar. Brother Wout arranged a little cloak, and again recovered the part of the statue of the child Jesus located outside the Church.

In the Summer of 1381, he placed the statue of Mary at the altar of the Holy Martin, where people actually made fun of it. A female passer-by stopped and mocked the statue finding it ugly and that next night, Mary appeared to her and asked “why do you say that I’m ugly? I am in eternal life, which is clean, in the highest of heaven! I recommend you so, that you come to me for your retreat, to overcome your suffering and to obtain eternal life.” The woman then asked  a noble Lady the next day in church to have the statue decorated.

Mary, better known in town as the “Sweet Mother (dutch [Zoete Moeder]), is still visited all throughout the year by people from far and wide in the St. John’s Cathedral. The number of lit candles that are annually placed at the sweet Mother are lighted with the intention of a thought, prayer and/or a pilgrimage. Although the times of our 21st century in Europe are known by the dechristianisation of Europe, it is impressive that there are approximately some 400,000 candles at the site annually. This is especially noticed in the month of May when Mary, as mother of God, stands central in the Catholic faith by honoring Her as the “Mother of the Lord”. During this month, there are frequent pilgrimages from the Meierij (region to the East and South of Den Bosch), the Langstraat (region west of Den Bosch) and the Bommelerwaard (region in the dutch province of Gelderland to the North of Den Bosch). Hiking and cycling pilgrimages of 20 and 30 km and than going to one of the many Eucharistic celebrations in the Cathedral on Saturdays (12.30 hours)-, Sunday- and holidays (as well as Ascension and Pentecost falling in the month of May). This tradition remains traditionally popular with celebrations starting at 8.00 a.m. 10.00 a.m. and 12.00 a.m. The Cathedral is visited each weekend in May by thousands’ of pilgrims and parishioners. Many choirs, folklore and historical guilds complete the pilgrimage to the city of ’s-Hertogenbosch to participate in mass and pay their respects to Mary, as our “Sweet Mother”.

On the second Sunday in May-worldwide known as mother’s day –  the Maryprocession traditionally takes place with the route of the procession along with the statue of the Sweet Lady. This tradition has a remarkable history of development and experience.

After the restoration of the bishopric hierarchy in 1853 in the Netherlands annual processions with the sweet Mother were allowed to reappear in public life. The popularity was great, and in 1889 an estimated crowd of 15,000 to 20,000 participants did participate. The annual procession from 1916 was more festive in character and brought about a change into a more official procession. It became a procession with costumed participants containing historical and biblical scenes of Mary. The town of ’s-Hertogenbosch was more connected to its own predominantly catholic history. After the 1950s, the popularity increased. In 1967, it became a procession with a more sober character.

The procession in our days still takes place on the second Sunday in May (mother’s day) walking the old procession route with the Statue of the Sweet Mother. The believers accompany the statue of the Sweet Mother using the 14th century procession route, flanked by many blue-white (Marian) flags that are attached to the facades. This is planned after the Eucharist celebration of 11.45 a.m., which then starts about 13.00 p.m. . On one condition: only if the weather allows it. Since the statue of the Sweet Mother is vulnerable, there should be no rain predicted. This 14th century medieval pilgrimage has many beautiful Maria statues to the facades as well. According to the tradition along the route also little Mary statues are to be placed in the houses behind the (front) windows with sometimes burning candles. Together with blue-and-white flags (mary colours) and  bouquets of white and yellow daisy’s (the catholic colours) which are usually found on display.

The Procession route goes along the streets and houses in town, where, according to the  tradition, the Sweet Lady of Den Bosch would have walked in the 14th century, also at the time of a major outbreak of the plague. Initially, on the day preceding her journey, the tradition outlines, a procession was planned to ask her intercession for salvation and healing of the many plague sufferers. Because of the very bad weather on the day of the original procession, the procession was postponed. Than, it was discovered that in the early morning on the next day, they found the miraculous statue of Mary in the middle of the Church standing with smeared undergarment. This turned out (later that day) to be a miraculous cure of plague sufferers along the houses of the inner-city streets where in our days still the maryprocession route is being marked/walked  in the city center. Both on mother’s day in the month of May as during the Mary Novena of Den Bosch (a nine day prayers tradition) of the sweet Lady starting on July 7, her feast day lasts until 15 July.

The actual tradition of the actual Bossche Maria Novena (7-15 July) has been ‘officially”in existence since 1866. 1866 was the year that the city suffered from the illness of cholera. In that year, an “extra loop” at the 14th century pilgrimage joined the route of the 14th century one which was nearby the “Mary Chapel in the Spoonstreet (dutch: Lepelstraat) so called “Association of the praying Marymen”. It was the year that the gathering of people in the St. Johns was forbidden by the ecclesiastical authorities because of the risk of infection of cholera. This Chapel was only big enough (in the walking route) to stop nearby for prayers and lighting candles.

Walking the old pilgrimage in Novena tradition was, however, an older tradition that in fact goes back longer than 1966. I.e. to approximately 1629!  After the capture of the city by Frederic Henry in september 1629, the catholic faith was forbidden to practising. From 1629 to 1810, no public processions and religious (Catholic) rituals were allowed. The State reformed religion (the accepted Protestantism) was for the religious life in the city in that period the only official one. In, May, 1810, the cathedral was returned to Catholics by Napoleon Bonaparte. Before 1810, the catholic faith had to go underground and stayed alive because of many secret churches which secretly were decorated in living rooms. Priests were, at that time, secretly smuggled into the city. With the sudden change of the religious wind and quickly arranged departure of the image of the sweet Mother to Brussels in september 1629, the Catholic people in town developed the use of a quiet silence prayer tradition by walking quietly (silently to themselves praying) the famous (middle-ages known) streets of the pilgrimage during 9 days. This was done, often in the evenings as an individual person or in pairs, not in groups. This could else (probably) lead to problems that would provoke the protestant City Government of those days than.