Helshoven Chapel

In Helshoven you can get a tasty snack.
Light a candle at the chapel. And there is a crypt, indicated by an arrow.

Former hermitage chapel of Helshoven. Around 1254 Gerard, brother of Arnold IV, Count of Loon, founded a priory hospital for pilgrims passing through, served by the Knights Hospitaller of St. John. In 1317 they sold all their goods in Helshoven to Goswijn, commander of the Teutonic Order in Bernissem (Sint-Truiden). An oratory was built on the site of the current chapel. The priory had already disappeared at the beginning of the 17th century, and was replaced by a hermitage around 1674, at the request of Gerardus van Deventer, the first hermit. The land commander of Alden-Biesen had the right of permission there. In 1796 the hermitage was prohibited by law. The chapel of Helshoven was destroyed by fire around 1574, probably during the second campaign of William the Silent. Landcommander Edmond Godfried van Bocholtz restores them around 1661. Above the door, the coat of arms of this commander and an inscription mentioning the construction. Already in the first half of the 18th century, mention of the poor condition of the chapel. In 1794, the goods of the German Order are confiscated, the chapel and hermitage become the property of the C.O.O. of Berlingen, which rents them to the various hermits until 1908. Restoration project in 1923 by architect A. Mairlot. In 1925, the dilapidated hermitage is demolished and the chapel is restored by architect G. Theunissen, according to the plans of Mairlot. The damage caused by a flying bomb in 1944 is repaired in 1955. Thorough restoration in 1966, during which the plasterwork of the outer walls was removed, the marlstone window sills were renewed as well as the affected marlstone parts, new wainscoting was installed; the choir was paved with stones from the Saint-Jacques in Liège. During excavations, a well was found to the north of the chapel, three skeletons to the west and a grave with the remains of a brick vault to the south. In 1995, a new restoration of the chapel, designed by J. Smeets (Hasselt), was completed. Inventory of Immovable Heritage: Chapel of Our Lady of Joyful Peace, id.erfgoed.net/erfgoedobjecten/31946

Very beautiful chapel with many sights around, you can also visit the crypt!