Attraction

De Leenderkapel

Leenderkapelweg
Landgraaf
Sagas and legends are omnipresent in South Limburg folk culture. Although you can doubt their veracity, they are often too good to leave out.

That is no different as far as the Leenderkapel in Schaesberg is concerned. The robust Lady Chapel, built from yellow sandstone chunks, stands on top of a hill overlooking the ancient Hoeve Leenhof and the remains of Schaesberg Castle.

One of the castle residents, Count Johann Frederik van Schaesberg (1598-1671), is said to have built the chapel as a thank you to Maria after a safe return from a battle.

At first, pacing through his castle, he can't think of a way to thank Maria. One evening, after fatigue has overpowered him, he dreams that it is snowing heavily outside.

All of Schaesberg is covered in a thick blanket of snow, except for a small spot on top of the nearby hill. The next morning, against all expectations, the landscape is actually white with snow.

Stunned but determined, the count immediately makes his way to the mound. Arriving at the top, he sees that not a single flake of snow has fallen on a small patch of ground. Then he is sure that his mysterious dream is a sign from above, instructing him to build a chapel in honor of Mary here.

The story of the count's dream seems more fable than fact. What is certain is that he built or at least renovated the Leender Chapel. This is evident from the plaque on which his family coat of arms and that of his wife Ferdinanda van Wachtendonck (1608-1644) can be seen under one crown.

Above this alliance crest is the text 'FLOS/CARMELI/VIRGO PUERPERA/ORA PRO/NOBIS', which literally means 'Flower of the Carmel, virgin in travail prays for us'. The plaque could have been placed in honor of their marriage in 1623.

It is known that the count went on a pilgrimage to the mountain of Carmel at that time. It is also possible that ten to twenty years later the count turned the chapel into a monument of their Marian devotion, whether or not in memory of his wife.

After all, between 1633 and 1639 the couple repeatedly visited the Marian Shrine of Scherpenheuvel and in 1644, despite a lingering illness, Ferdinanda went to Kevelaer, a pilgrimage that was fatal to her.

In the course of the seventeenth century, a rich Marian devotion flourished. According to old stories, the legendary goat riders use the chapel to secretly hold their nightly gatherings.

With the arrival of the French at the end of the eighteenth century, Marian devotion died out. This remains the case until the middle of the nineteenth century. Around 1847, the Schaesberg chaplain PJ Römkens had the Leender Chapel restored.

There will also be a new statue of the Virgin Mary, an altar, a communion rail and other necessities. With the introduction of the mayo, Römkens breathes new life into the Marian devotion. Since then, the chapel has attracted extra visitors in the month of May.

Since 1856, every year, for decades, a real student pilgrimage has traveled from boarding school Rolduc to the Leenderkapel. Today, the Leenderkapel, or 't Leenderkapelke as the elderly of days affectionately call it, is still a very nice piece of Landgraaf to relax in the green.
This text has been automatically translated using an online translation service.

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