The church of Ramsel

The parish of Ramsel belonged for centuries to the vast Saint Lambert parish of Westerlo, while the hamlet was politically part of Herselt.
In 1541, a chapel already stood here, a so-called 'quarta capella'. A quarter chapel was a parish church that paid a quarter of the tithe (taxes). In the 18th century, Ramsel became a prosperous village. The old chapel, which had become too small, was replaced by a larger building. The 19th century was a particularly flourishing period and the increased importance was ecclesiastically confirmed when the village became an independent parish in 1842. Twenty years later, in 1865, the village became an independent municipality, separate from Herselt. Once again, the church would become too small and in 1885 plans were drawn up to enlarge it with a new choir and side aisles. When the works were put out to tender in 1887, the church was struck by a fire on Christmas Eve. During the reconstruction, the tower received its current appearance.
In the church, a early 16th-century statue of Saint Anthony Abbot is preserved. After the fire, the pastor made an appeal to neighboring parishes to donate saint statues. The neighboring Wolfsdonk, where the veneration of Saint Anthony Abbot was important, donated this 'old' statue. Later, Wolfsdonk would regret this generosity because with the statue, a part of the saint's appeal had also gone to Ramsel, and many pilgrims chose to go to Ramsel instead of Wolfsdonk.

Jan Rymenams