Virga Jesse Basilica, Catholic basilica in Hasselt, Belgium

The Virga Jesse Basilica on Kapelstraat is a late-Baroque and early-Classical church completed in 1727. Its red-brown brick tower with cream stone trim rises to a dark grey dome; near the top are two round-arched openings, and below them a circular window and a semicircular stone arch. Inside are a Baroque altar by Jean Del Cour from Herkenrode Abbey and marble tombs of abbesses Anna Catharina de Lamboy and Barbara de Rivière d'Arschot.

A chapel built on this site in 1334 by a member of the Brotherhood of Our Lady was replaced by the present church, completed in 1727 in late-Baroque and early-Classical style. A V-1 rocket in November 1944 killed 16 people and destroyed much of the church and surrounding street; the Virga Jesse statue was recovered nearly intact from the rubble. The rebuilt church reopened in 1951, and Pope John Paul II elevated it to a basilica on 6 May 1998.

The 14th century Virga Jesse statue, a Gothic oak carving, is carried through Hasselt's streets in a grand procession every seven years since 1682. This tradition connects visitors and residents alike to centuries of local faith and community practice.

The upper section of the bell tower, including the spire and bells, was removed in late 2023 after neighbors noticed a bent column; wood rot had gone undetected in a 2017 inspection. The tower remains incomplete, though restoration is planned. The church itself reopened in 1951 after wartime damage.

A small silver garment called the 'kleedje van de Morin' is part of the recognized Flemish cultural collection housed within the basilica. This crafted piece is often overlooked but reveals the building's rich artistic heritage.