Arriving by train in the ancient city of Liege, you will immediately see a giant green dome covered with copper. This is a unique landmark of Belgian temple architecture, the stone Church of the Sacred Heart and Our Lady of Lourdes. At first glance, it seems to be an ancient temple built during the reign of the Byzantine Empire (the Catholic Church of Liege was built in this style). However, this church was built in the middle of the 20th century, in 1936, by the famous Belgian modern architect Joseph Smolderen. In the same year, the church was consecrated in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes, widely revered by the Catholic Church of Belgium. It turned out that eight years of continuous construction were not enough to complete the Church of the Sacred Heart and Our Lady of Lourdes. It remained unfinished and later was completely abandoned.

Currently, the local city authorities still cannot find funds to restore and complete its construction. However, tourists and fans of temple architecture still come there to enjoy its majestic look. Moreover, the church contains real rare works of sacred art, two unique statues of St. Maur and St. Mort.

Locals sometimes refer to the abandoned church as the basilica because of its impressive monumental appearance. In fact, the Church of the Sacred Heart and Our Lady of Lourdes has never had such an honorary status. However, it was listed as a Walloon Heritage Site in 2011.

There are many popular attractions next to this beautiful church of this sad story: the legendary monument to the victims of the war in Liege called the Memorial to the Allied Forces (Mémorial Interallié), the 19th-century astronomical observatory located in a charming private park, the amazing Bridge of Angels decorated with bronze medallions and allegorical figures of the talented Belgian sculptor Paul Demany.