Former Saint James chapel - Kalmthout - Belgium - Way of St. James on Waymarking.com

From 1488 until 1957 the Sint-Jacobskapel (in English Saint James Chapel) stood in the heart of Kalmthout, on the triangular Franconian village square. The chapel was initially dedicated to the first patron of Kalmthout, Saint-Christopher. At the time Dutch pilgrims used the chapel as starting place for their pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella the name changed into Sint-Jacobskapel. The chapel was destroyed twice: the first time in 1542, the second time in 1583, together with the main church in the center of the village. Until 1642, the reconstructed Sint-Jacobskapel subsequently served as parish church.
The chapel was spared until the Second World War. In 1944 it was severely damaged and the roof covering largely knocked away. Although the wounds were not that dramatic, the necessary recovery was nevertheless left behind so that the building slowly crumbled until in 1957 only a mess remained. At that moment the chapel was demolished.
Now the contours of the chapel are visible in the street work.
On the Sint Jacobsplaats there is also a statue called the pilgrim. There is also a clock tower.
It contains a unique clock, which was donated in 1599 by Pieter III van der Gheyn.
(source: Kalmthout te Kijk - historical and nostalgic book, Ronny Neys, 1991)

Country: Belgium Type of Waymark: Monument Way of St. James identification: Symbol & Name Rate your Waymark:

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/29/2019 eilers1 visited it