Pierre du Diable Stavelot

Remacle came from the east. He found the banks of the Amblève to his liking. He settled there. As the leader of a team of men, he quickly had buildings of imposing proportions constructed in the valley. It was a monastery, a series of cells with monks, a refectory, a mill, a large oven, in short, everything that is essential for the life of a community.

In the center of the Abbey of Stavelot, Remacle cleared a huge space for the church. It was to replace the wooden chapel that had been built from the beginning.
Hundreds of men worked on the construction site. It was a real anthill of tilers, masons, carpenters, roofers.
Soon the walls began to rise from the ground: enormous cornerstones, columns, fences, gates, bays. However, it took years before the vaulted arches rose above the nave and marked the place from which the songs that now praise God would emerge.
When the church was fully completed, preparations for the consecration were made. Remacle wanted it to be a great celebration. The choir repeated its most beautiful songs. All the movements of the procession, which would go from one end of the monastery to the other, were carefully regulated. Flame-bearing masts were planted everywhere.
One morning before the consecration, Remacle heard the rustle of wings behind him.
Startled, Remacle turned around. In a corner of the monastery, an angel smiled at him. He was a handsome young man with beautiful skin, completely dressed in white. He could easily be mistaken for one of the teenagers who would participate in the procession that afternoon. But the two simmering wings on his shoulders, which moved slightly, left no doubt. This was indeed a messenger from heaven.
Moreover, the angel continued to smile at Remacle. A smile that seemed to compel the abbot to approach. Remacle trembled. He knew that angels existed, but he had never seen a real angel before.

"Do not be afraid," said the angel. "I come as a friend to warn you of a great danger." The devil wants to destroy what you built. This afternoon, when the celebration begins, he will drop the largest stone he has ever found from far away onto the roof of your sanctuary. The vaulted arches will break and crush the monks and believers underneath it.

God surprised the devil in the midst of his work. He sent me to warn you.

Remacle was shocked. Evil would destroy in an instant what took so long to build? He also imagined the bloodshed. It was horrible!
The rustle of wings disrupted the silence. Remacle looked up. The angel had just flown away. He approached the columns of the gallery, crossed the space above the garden, and quickly vanished into the sky.
Remacle stood up. He had no time to lose. He called the monks and addressed them.

"An angel warned me of a great danger," he said. "I need all the old shoes and soles within an hour." The monks burst into laughter, thinking he was joking. But Remacle maintained his serious face. He ordered them again to fill a bag with old shoes as quickly as possible. The monks went to search.
In less than an hour, they had gathered more than enough shoes to shod an entire army. All were worn out.

So he went to meet the devil. When he saw him, the devil was at the top of a hill. He was carrying an enormous stone on his back. The devil was blowing and sweating. He looked like he was at the end of his strength. When he saw the man with the bag approaching him, he stopped to catch his breath and asked, "Colleague, is it far from here to the monastery of Stavelot?"

Before he replied, Remacle emptied his bag at his feet.
"Look," he said, "I come from there. I don't know exactly how far I've walked, but here is what is left of all the shoes I have worn since I left there."
At the sight of the incredible pile of worn shoes, the devil seemed to lose heart. "I will never make it on time," he mumbled. And he let the stone fall that he was carrying. He turned around and disappeared in a bit of smoke.
The celebration of the consecration went on as planned with much adoration.
Later, Remacle gladly showed the "fait du diable." The stone that had rolled very far, to the region of Wanne.

Willem Vandenameele