True love is an extremely precious emotion and a depiction of that sentiment remains sometimes very elusive. At the Cimetière de Laeken in Brussels though there's a mausoleum that draws attention to this most deeply felt human emotion once a year. Built in 1920 for Léonce Evrard and his wife, Louise Flignot, the tomb features inside a sculpture of a mourner, arm outstretched against a blank wall.
Nothing much on first sight, one could argue. On the Summer Solstice, when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky, however, it reveals the true invention of its builder. At precisely noon on every June 21, sunlight pierces through an opening in the roof, creating a heart-shaped beam of light. This ethereal glow forms for just a few moments, hovering above the mourner's hand, almost as if the figure is reaching out for this symbolic heart of light.
It only lasts for about 15 minutes, but this creation has captivated me and many other visitors for decades as we see it as a true romantic testament to enduring love. The heart of light, cast during the longest day of the year, creates the right emotional depth.
