Lit du diable - Wéris

The Devil's Bed (lit du diable) is a pudding stone located in Wéris. The Wéris puddingstone is a conglomeration of pebbles bound together by very hard fine sandstone.

This stone, also called Devil's Paillasse , is 240 cm long, 140 cm wide and 60 cm high. It consists of two adjacent parts: a flat, slightly concave main part represents the bed and a higher part functions as a 'cushion'.

According to legend , the devil rested here before descending to the center of the earth (and to hell) under the slightly higher Haina stone .

According to tradition, the Pierre Haina is whitewashed every year during the autumn equinox by the inhabitants of Wéris, to purify the stone and keep the devil away from it. This action takes place in the context of festivities where people dance, drink and eat around the stone.

Another legend tells that a miller from the Aisne valley had promised to give his soul to the devil if the latter would build him a dam to supply his mill. What was done at night. But the next day the miller did not keep his word and the devil immediately destroyed this dam. Tired of this work, the devil came down on this stone.

Willem Vandenameele