Kruiskensberg (1)

Kruiskensberg is a pilgrimage site in Nijlen. An old text tells that a very sick shepherd drank from a spring around 1260 and was suddenly healed. When this became known, a wooden cross was erected and the pilgrims came flocking. In the 17th century, five wells were dug as a symbol of the five wounds of Christ. Last century, these wells were bricked up, a chapel was built, and Lord Florent le Grelle, the lord of the Rameyenhof castle, donated a large iron cross. The main pilgrimage day is Good Friday when from 7 to 12 o'clock, believers still come to walk the Way of the Cross. There is also a special market around Kruiskensberg that day.
Another story circulates about Kruiskensberg. The chapel is said to be the place where one can find love, and young people came there to pray for a partner. Furthermore, you can find a whole series of shoelaces and other pieces of cloth on some of the chapel's windows to "bind the fever." But the domain behind the chapel has its own history. There you will find a heath pond, and around the pond is a vast wet heath, interspersed with dry sand ridges. The whole area is now a municipal walking forest with an area of 10 hectares.

Eddy&Rita