The Rovertkapel is a chapel near the Belgian town of Hulsel, northeast of Poppel and close to the Belgian-Dutch border.
Here, near Grenspaal 209, the Rovertse Leij also flows into the Netherlands.
From 1643 until just after 1672, a border church for the residents of Hilvarenbeek was located on the site of the chapel.
The legend
The story goes that on October 13, 1735, a theft took place in the Valentinus Church in Poppel, during which the consecrated hosts and relics were stolen. The population wanted all of this back and divided themselves into groups that scoured the area. Ultimately, it was discovered that the ground had been disturbed at the site of the former border church. When people started digging here, the hosts were found undamaged.
A variant of this legend mentions a shepherd who passed by this place with his flock of sheep, whereupon the sheep stopped and knelt devoutly.
Part of the interior of the Rovert Chapel
The chapel
In any case, a chapel was erected from 1736-1738. It is a whitewashed square building with flattened corners and a baroque-looking dome. In the chapel there is a painting by Sister Augustina da Porta, depicting the incident with the flock of sheep.
The chapel is now a resting point and a junction of various walking and cycling routes.