Black Madam - Silsombos - Nederokkerzeel

Although there is no chapel dedicated to her, the Black Madam has always appealed to the imagination of the people of Nederokkerzelen. That is why she should not be missing from this story. Various sagas circulate about the how and why of this statue of the Virgin Mary, which has found its place in the wooded area of Ter Balk. Indeed, there is a mysterious veil over this statue and the area in which it is displayed. According to historian Vannoppen van Erps-Kwerps, the Black Madam controlled the Molenbeek between Nederokkerzeel and Erps-Kwerps. In the vicinity is the 'Steinen Goot', a stone gutter, the place where the Weesbeek flows under the higher flowing Molenbeek. The original iron bridge is a well-known stopping place. The people think they know that voices could be heard on the spot at midnight and that people were inexplicably pulled into the Molenbeek where they died by drowning.

Incidentally, the whole area was once plagued by phenomena of superstition. According to another source, members of the Wittman family, owners of Ter Balk Castle, would have set up the statue of the Virgin Mary to watch over the surrounding area. The story also goes that the sister of the castle owner had promised her entire fortune to her nephew, son of the lord of the castle, if he would become a priest. However, he was an only child and at the same time also a stock holder. Father Wittman is therefore said to have had a statue of the Virgin Mary, facing in the direction of Leuven, placed with the fervent wish that his son, who was staying in a monastery in Leuven, would not follow his calling. His desire was fulfilled, his prayers were answered, but he could whistle for the inheritance.

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