Oostakker, formerly spelled Oostacker, is one of the smaller former municipalities which were merged into Ghent (from which it's only two miles), the capital of the Belgian province of East Flanders. The hamlet is mainly known for its Roman Catholic shrine of the Virgin Mary. Shrine of Oostakker The miraculous shrine of the Blessed Virgin is a place of pilgrimage from Belgium, the Netherlands and Northern France. It takes its name from Ghent. Its origin as a centre of pilgrimage is comparatively… (More on Oostakker)