Rooikapelhoeve

Initially, the current Blanden was completely forested and owned by the Lords of Bierbeek. They had a section of their forests cleared in the 12th century to build the "court of Blanden." The name Blanden (Belanden or bij-landen) comes from these new additional agricultural lands. This domain became their main residence and one of the family's most important heritage sites. They had a domain chapel built where the monks from the priory of St. Nicasius came to read mass twice a week. This chapel had a roof of red tiles, hence the name "red chapel," which was later transformed into "rooi kapel" in the Blanden dialect. The domain remained in the possession of the lords of Bierbeek from the end of the 11th century until 1365, when the lordship was sold. In 1381 it fell into the hands of Nicolaas and Boudewijn van Overbeke, who acted on behalf of their brother Hendrik, abbot of the Abbey of Park. In 1390, the abbot donated the goods to the convent of the abbey. The abbey became the owner of the land but did not possess the feudal rights. The priests of the abbey came there on Mondays and Saturdays to read mass, but Blanden remained ecclesiastically subordinate to Bierbeek, and all other church services only took place in Bierbeek. Due to the decline in the number of lay brothers, the abbey could not manage the farm itself; it was leased to Walter van Bruystem and Margriet van Overbeke, a cousin of the abbot. However, the abbey retained the land rights. From 1530 onwards, the court was rented out, each time for a period of nine years. At the end of the 16th century, the farm consisted of standalone buildings with a chapel located outside the yard, behind an orchard. During the tumultuous 16th and 17th centuries, the court and chapel had to be regularly repaired. In the 17th century, a closed farm was established with five separate buildings around a rectangular inner courtyard, interconnected by gates and walls. In 1660, Abbot Libert de Pape had the old chapel, which was very dilapidated, demolished and replaced with a new one in Baroque style. It was erected in the southwest corner of the lower courtyard, next to the exit gate to the farmlands. Around 1680, the cradle-shaped ceiling of the chapel was decorated with stucco relief work, executed by Jan Christiaan Hansche from Amsterdam, who was also the creator of the famous high relief ceilings in the library and the refectory of the Abbey of Park. During the French Revolution, the farm was seized and sold by the French as "domaine national." The property was divided and changed hands in the following decades. From 1908, the farm came into the possession of the Coppens family, who ran it until 1991. Thereafter, the buildings and part of the land were sold several more times. This private property has recently been thoroughly restored.

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