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St. Brigid's Church, Noorbeek

St. Brigid's Church, Noorbeek

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St. Brigid's Church, Noorbeek

Recommended by 520 hikers out of 545

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Location: Margraten, Limburg, Netherlands

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Best Hikes to St. Brigid's Church, Noorbeek

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1. View of the Noor Valley – Path Along the Voer loop from 's-Gravenvoeren - Fouron-le-Comte

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4.8

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2. View of 's-Gravenvoeren – Path Along the Voer loop from Noorbeek

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3. View of 's-Gravenvoeren – Lankwater Play Stream loop from 's-Gravenvoeren - Fouron-le-Comte

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Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Moderate

Tips

Dominiek Van Dooren

March 21, 2023

The den of Sint Brigida is a den that is placed annually on the second Saturday after Easter in front of the Sint-Brigida Church in Noorbeek. It is closely related to the pine plantations in the rest of South Limburg and a typical example of the Christianization of an originally pagan ritual around the maypole.
(Wikipedia)

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January 26, 2020

The Church of St. Brigida dates back to around 1100.

On September 12, 1944, the municipality of Noorbeek was the first Dutch municipality to be liberated by the Allies.

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Jeroen

November 3, 2020

The building consists of a square west tower with two sections, a three-aisled nave with bluestone columns with Maas capitals, a three-sided closed choir, a sacristy, a portal and a baptistery. The Maaskapitels are sculpted heads in various motifs on top of the columns and are a characteristic of architecture in the Maasland. The remains of murals are located in the north aisle. The nave consists of four bays. the nave and the choir both have net vaults with paintings from around 1500, creating a visual unity. There is a reduced triumphal arch between the two building parts.

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Bas Linssen

January 25, 2021

A beautiful photogenic church in the village of Noorbeek. Well worth it.

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Bart

April 17, 2022

Original lonely tree at the church.

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Miranda 🥾 TriA© / Johnny

July 30, 2025

Text on the information board:

St. Brigida Denhalen (more info: immaterieelerfgoed.nl/nl/brigidadenhalen)

A special tradition has lived in Noorbeek for centuries.
Since 1634, the men have planted a thirty-meter-high pine tree to honor Saint Brigid. That year, a major cattle plague raged in Limburg. To protect their livestock, the residents of Noorbeek turned to Saint Brigid, the patron saint of cattle. They promised her that if she could avert the cattle plague, they would erect a pine tree in front of the chapel every year in her honor. And so it happened: the cattle were cured, and since then, a pine tree has been erected every year on the second Saturday after Easter.

The Noorbeek Society of Saint Brigid is made up of the unmarried men who live in Noorbeek. Almost all the men in the village have been members of the Society. The Society collects the pine tree. With thirty draft horses and a traditional wooden pine cart from the forest.
On the day in question, the men harness the draft horses early in the morning and depart for the forest. A thirty-meter-high pine tree has already been blessed by the priest. The mayor and the priest strike the first blow with the axe, after which the young men chop down the tree and load it onto the pine cart.
They then depart in a long procession back to Noorbeek. Along the way, they regularly stop for drinks, and the draft horses are decorated with crêpe papplet flowers.
Around eight o'clock in the evening, the colorful and cheerful procession arrives at the Pley. Here, the horses are unharnessed and led on a lap of honor around the church. The residents of Noorbeek cheer loudly and applaud the procession. The pine tree is then handed over to the married men of Noorbeek, who use stakes to erect it. The tradition of denhalen (the gathering of the den) is passed down from generation to generation in Noorbeek by members of the Jonkheid (the youth group).
The older boys teach the younger ones. Since the 1950s, there has also been a youth denhalen (the gathering of the den) to prepare the little ones from grades three through eight for the real work. The denhalen plays an important role in the village. It is a unifying element and strengthens social cohesion within the community.
In 2014, the St. Brigida Denhalen (the gathering of the den) in Noorbeek was placed on the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
This is recognition of the work done to keep the tradition alive.
Heritage that I share and of which the village is proud.
Cultural Heritage Netherlands

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Elevation 180 m

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Wednesday 12 November

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Location: Margraten, Limburg, Netherlands

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St. Brigid's Church, Noorbeek

1. View of the Noor Valley – Path Along the Voer loop from 's-Gravenvoeren - Fouron-le-Comte

2. View of 's-Gravenvoeren – Path Along the Voer loop from Noorbeek

3. View of 's-Gravenvoeren – Lankwater Play Stream loop from 's-Gravenvoeren - Fouron-le-Comte

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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