Hal, a town in South Brabant, 9 miles by rail SSW. from Brussels. The church of St Mary (1341-1409) is much resorted to by pilgrims on account of a black miracle-working wooden image of the Virgin, which during a bombardment in 1580 caught thirty-three cannon-balls in her lap—they lie piled up in the tower. Pop. 9739.
Hal
Chambers's Encyclopaedia, Volume 5: Friday to Humanitarians, p. 511
Source scan(s): p. 0526