Chapel of Our Lady of Comfort in Distress

Paanderstraat no. +131. Chapel of O.-L.-Vrouw Troost in Nood, also known as "Beels chapel", rebuilt in 1949 on the site of an early 19th-century chapel. History. In 1810, Franciscus Beel builds a chapel near his farm as a thank you for the safe return of his son Petrus from the French army. The chapel, which is depicted on the primitive cadastral map (circa 1830), has been damaged and robbed several times over the years, but has always been restored by the Beel family. In 1842, Father Jozef Beel, son of Petrus Beel, honors the chapel with various relics, including of the Holy Cross, the Grave of Mary, St. Barbara, St. Anthony the Abbot, and St. Cornelius. In 1949, E.H. Alfons Beel commissions the current chapel to be built after another safe return of a family member, this time of priest Remi Beel who was imprisoned in Brussels during World War II. Description. Well-maintained chapel, located at a bend in the road, surrounded by linden, willow, and hawthorn hedge; adjacent cobblestone step. Red brick chapel with semi-circular choir extension under a gable roof (ridge perpendicular to the street; slate) featuring a painted wooden eaves overhang on consoles. Gable with braiding on shoulder supports and protruding corner buttresses. Natural stone plinth, collar stones, top cross, base stones, and steps. Decorative anchors. Arched windows with diamond-shaped stained glass filling and a similar niche at the top. In a recessed niche, arched entrance with a painted wooden wing door. On the street facade are the initials of the builders and years of construction "F B 1810" AND "A B 1949". Mostly white-painted and plastered interior finish under barrel vault; white-black natural stone tiled floor. Choir section with painted text "O.L.VROUW TROOST IN NOOD", separated by a high, two-part white-painted grille. Natural stone altar with tabernacle, containing a statue of O.-L.-Vrouwe on the moon with a snake; flanking polychrome statues of St. Rochus, St. Cornelius, St. Barbara, and St. Anthony the Abbot; seated statue of Mary signed "A. ALLOO" with the inscription "KOMT TOT MIJ". Natural stone holy water font.

CADASTRAL ARCHIVE WEST FLANDERS, 207: Mutation sketches, Meulebeke, Department 2, 1948/37. BOUCKHUYT L., The chapel roads, an inventory of the Meulebeek field chapels, Meulebeke, 1994, p. 85-100, 163. DEGRANDE V., Inventory of the chapels in West Flanders, Municipality of Meulebeke, n.p., n.d., no. 27. GERMONPREZ R., The book of Meulebeke, Meulebeke, 1982, p. 243. The monument of the Paanders, Beels Chapel has a turbulent history, in De Weekbode, March 17, 2000. MUYLAERT F. (ed.), Churches in West Flanders, Part 1, Roeselare, 1992, p. 119. Paanderspad, brochure walking routes, Meulebeke, 1991, p. 7-11.

Onroerend Erfgoed Vlaanderen