Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Lourdeskerk

Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Lourdeskerk stands in Vlokhoven, within Eindhoven’s Woensel district, as a Roman Catholic church from the early twentieth century. You would see a building designed by architect Wolter te Riele, whose work also includes Saint Lambertus Church in Gestel. The parish began in 1909, construction started in 1920, and later changes expanded the church between 1931 and 1932.

The surrounding church grounds once included a rectory and gardens, while ceremonies, processions and parish gatherings connected the building with local life. During Operation Market Garden on 18 September 1944, fighting reached Vlokhoven after Captain John W. Kiley was fatally shot, and rifle fire struck the tower soon afterwards. Some bullet impacts were repaired after the war, removing part of the visible evidence, while German forces had already confiscated all the bells for wartime industry.

One bell returned to Pastor Eduardus Odemaere on 16 December 1944, offering a small surviving detail from those turbulent years. In 1945, Father Janus van der Vleuten received his priestly ordination inside the church, with many local residents attending.