Chapelle Notre Dame de Walcourt - Lesse

Surrounded by two venerable lime trees, this chapel overlooks the hamlet of Lesse and dates from 1750.

It is under the protection of Our Lady of Walcourt and is said to have been the scene of a number of miraculous events . A pilgrimage to Saint Monon - who has a statue there - was long maintained to protect livestock, especially pigs.

The name refers to a local cult that was especially popular in Wallonia. Notre-Dame de Walcourt was affected by a fire in 1228 . The building was almost completely destroyed. Oral tradition reports that the only part spared was a statue of the Virgin . The latter is said to have been found in a nearby garden, at the top of a tree. This statue of Mary became so popular that it attracted many pilgrims to the church. After a plague epidemic in 1329, the image of the Virgin was carried triumphantly through the streets to thank her for keeping the plague away. The legend gave rise to a pilgrimage, miracles and a cult that spread for tens of kilometers. The Notre-Dame de Walcourt chapel in the hamlet of Lesse is just one example.

Preceded by two remarkable lime trees and surrounded by an oak, an ash and a curtain of cedars, it was built in 1750 from sandstone chunks. The inscription above the door “NDD / VALCA / PPN 1750" tells us when it was built. The sanctuary originally had two bays illuminated by arched windows with hardened limestone frames. A third bay was added later. The chapel ends in a three-sided chevron On top of the facade is a square bell tower with slate roofs and a short spire with a wrought iron cross. Inside the chapel is an altar decorated with a painted wooden altarpiece from the 18th century .

Willem Vandenameele