Chapel Our Lady in the Woods

Remarkable chapel*** from the 18th century built of arkose (1), under a slate roof. In 1697, a farmer named Pierre Duchesne is said to have hung a miraculous statue of the Virgin on a tree. Seeing the veneration it elicited, he reportedly had a first building constructed, of which the votive stone bearing the inscription: “S. MARIE REFUGE FOR THOSE WHO / ARE DISTRESSED BY THE FEVER / PRAY FOR US” was embedded upside down at the right corner of the facade of the current chapel. The year 1740 dates the frame of the door at the main gable. The ceiling of the nave carries the date 1774. To the left of the portal, a large rectangular limestone cartouche from the 19th century bears the dedication “O VIRGIN FULL OF KINDNESS / SEE MY DISGRACE AND MY MISERY. / I CALL UPON YOU WITH ALL MY HEART. / HELP ME O MY TENDER MOTHER! / WILL YOU LEAVE ME WITHOUT CONSOLATION? / BLESSED VIRGIN MARY / INCREASE MY TRUST IN YOU.” (1) The chapel was repainted white in 2020, eliciting some disapproval despite the fact that it seems established that this was its original appearance (lime washed).

According to the file from the Walloon Heritage Agency - Inventory of Cultural Heritage http://www.wallonie.be/patrimoine/ipic - Status as of 13/11/2020

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