Saint Werenfridus Church

In the 8th century, St. Werenfridus was one of the companions of St. Willibrordus who went from the Rathmelsigi monastery in Ireland to the Low Countries to preach the gospel. Via West Friesland and Dorestad he ended up in Elst.

St. Werenfridus died on 14 August 760 in Westervoort. After a judgment of God - in which his coffin sailed against the current to Elst on a boat - he was buried in Elst. Elst grew into a place of pilgrimage and an important religious center. St. Werenfridus is the patron saint of Elst, of vegetable growers and gout sufferers. The attribute of St. Werenfridus, a boat containing a coffin, can be found in, among other things, the coat of arms of Elst and of the municipality of Overbetuwe. The story of St. Werenfridus is beautifully expressed by J.A.F. Kronenburg in 1903.

After the Reformation in Elst in 1588, the Catholic faith could no longer be professed in public. Eventually, Eimeren became the site of the Catholic church. In the French era, Catholicism was allowed again and in 1802 the new parish of St. Werenfridus was founded. The simple church of 1802 was replaced in 1843 by a larger neoclassical one. Sixty years later it was too small and a large neo-Gothic church was built in 1906. Due to war damage in September 1944, it was decided after the war to build the current church, which was consecrated in 1951.

In 2010, the parish of St. Werenfridus merged with seven surrounding parishes to form the parish of St. Benedict. In 2018, this parish merged with the neighboring parish De Levensbron to form the parish of St. Mary Magdalene.

Every day the Maria chapel is open between 9:00 am and 7:00 pm. In winter, the chapel closes at 17:00. On Monday morning at 9:00 a.m. there is a read Mass in the church. The church is open every first and third Saturday of the month from 13.30 - 15.30h. Everyone is welcome to take a look inside the church, admire the art in the church, light a candle or have a chat. On the first Saturday of the month, the pastor is present. He will be happy to meet you. There is also an opportunity to confess and often there is also procrastination of the Most Holy.

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