Birth house of Father Damien reopens after renovation
The birth house of Jozef De Veuster, better known as Father Damien, reopens this weekend after a thorough renovation in Tremelo, Flemish Brabant province. A new permanent exhibition amongst others brings his childhood back to life.
Jozef De Veuster or Father Damien was a Flemish priest who dedicated his life to serving people with leprosy in Hawaii in the late 1800s. He contracted leprosy himself and died of the disease in 1889. Father Damien was canonised in 2009.
His birthplace in Tremelo has been a listed building since 1952 and is part of the Damien Museum. It was thoroughly renovated over nine months, with special attention paid to the stained-glass windows in a chapel and to the room in which Damien was born. The cost was over 650,000 euros (excluding VAT), of which 236,000 euros was subsidised by the Flemish government.
A new permanent exhibition was also set up, which takes visitors along in Damien's footsteps. Furniture and other interior elements with a link to the De Veuster family, such as a coffee grinder, bring his childhood in Tremelo back to life.
In the chapel, unique objects, such as a mission cross and a chasuble, tell of Damien's life and work as a priest-missionary at the Hawaiian Islands. An authentic Hawaiian deity statue takes centre stage and alludes to his introduction to Hawaiians and Hawaiian culture.
Damien's original coffin is on display in a custom-made glass display case. An interactive map on a touchscreen highlights key places and events in Damien's life through telling testimonials and historical photographs and documents.
From Saturday, the house will once again open its doors to the general public. All info can be found on the website https://www.damiaan.be/en/museum
#FlandersNewsService | The Damien museum © BELGA PHOTO BELGIAN_FREELANCE
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