The Fourteen Chapels

The Fourteen Chapels

We can say with a fairly high degree of certainty that the chapel group 'De Veertien Kapellekens' was founded in 1860 by farmer Petrus Verhaert, who had mowed with a scythe in his leg in the mid-19th century. He was advised to hang the injured leg regularly in the cesspool so that it would heal properly. During the healing process, Peter is said to have promised that – if he would be allowed to keep his leg – he would build a Stations of the Cross out of gratitude for his healing.

Actually, we don't count 14 but 15 chapels. In the Chapel of Our Lady is the first station of the Stations of the Cross, which continues in a row of 13 pillar chapels with a prayer bench in front of it. On the south side we find a chapel called 'the Calvary'. The Stations of the Cross were 'instituted' by H.E. G. Wils, then parish priest of Vorselaar (° Meerhout, 16 February 1789 - + Vorselaar, 9 July 1863) and consecrated in October 1860 by the Venerable Redemptorist Fathers.

Currently, the Fourteen Chapels are owned by the Church Council of Vorselaar. In the early 90s, they were thoroughly restored. On Sunday, May 16, 1993, the renovated 14 Chapels were solemnly inaugurated. By Ministerial Decree of 14 December 2004, they were protected as a monument because of their historical and folklore value.

Eddy&Rita