The All Saints Chapel, sale of 'God's dear Saints'

Already at the beginning of the 14th century, there was a chapel dedicated to All Saints on the Kluisberg, managed by the Saint George’s Guild. When the citadel was constructed halfway through the 19th century, the chapel was demolished and a new chapel was built on this site.

Especially in the 19th century, it became a popular pilgrimage site. After all, until then medicine was not very effective against infectious diseases, and all healing was expected from ‘above’ and preferably through the intercession of a saint who had developed a particular quality for a specific ailment. When we look at the infectious diseases that were responsible for epidemics, the options are relatively limited or – let’s put it this way – the competition among the saints is limited. For leprosy, this is Saint Job. When syphilis made its entrance into Europe in the 15th century, that would become a new area of work. For the plague, Saint Roch was widely known. In every village church, we find an image of this saint. From the 14th to the end of the 17th century, he had to be very active, and his cult experienced a revival when cholera ravaged our country in the 19th century. That the plague made a huge impression on our ancestors is perhaps evidenced by the fact that not only was Saint Roch invoked, but there exists a series of ‘plague saints’: Saint Sebastian, Saints Cosmas and Damian, Saint Anthony the Great, Saint Rosalia, and even in the 16th century the brand new Saint Charles Borromeo. After the plague, we see that in the 18th and 19th centuries dysentery and smallpox were constantly present. Saint Lucia was the champion against dysentery. Strangely enough, there are few saints who worked specifically against smallpox. Smallpox initially occurred in children, and child mortality was generally accepted. Smallpox was part of growing up. If a saint must be mentioned in this context, it is Saint Quirinus.

Ernest Claes describes in his book ‘Youth’ the bustle of the pilgrimage on November 1: ‘On the way to the chapel, it was full of stalls, and the sellers shouted to passersby what they could get from them for little money. Towards the meadows, behind the chapel, there were a few calves that had been offered for special cases, and which were sold after the mass.’

Before World War I, there were only about 30 saint images to visit in the chapel. But with the declining faith, the number of saint images seemed to increase, and today the chapel with its 160 images looks almost like a merchant's shop.

There is also a very special practice associated with the chapel: the All Saints pilgrimage, which takes place annually from November 1 to November 9. This devotional tradition now has a very long history. In 2007, the 700th anniversary of the All Saints pilgrimage was celebrated. Only during the pilgrimage is the All Saints Chapel open all day for visitors. The All Saints pilgrimage is still opened every year with a candlelight procession on October 31. The pilgrimage itself only starts the following day - on All Saints' Day itself. Many visitors also make use of an ex-voto. These are small objects made of wax that are offered and can, for example, take the shape of the sick body part or animal. Diest is one of the few places where such votive offerings are still available.

Jan Rymenams