Natural reserve of Gentissart
The former sand quarry at Gentissart, located between the villages of Tilly and Mellery, was acquired in 1996 by the Province of Walloon Brabant with a view to creating a...
At the northern edge of Tilly, the chapel of Notre-Dame des Affligés is a little oratory (1731) which held an oak representation of the Virgin dating back to around 1600.
The chapel was built by a former soldier in fulfilment of a promise: passing through Villers on his way to fight in Germany, he promised to construct a chapel there in honour of the Virgin if he came back alive.
He later returned, bringing with him an antique statue rescued from a fire. He moved in to the south of the abbey and lived there for several years as a hermit, gathering penny by penny the sum he needed to keep his promise. The chapel quickly became a place of pilgrimage. People prayed to Notre-Dame des Affligés for young children having difficulty taking their first steps and all those suffering from leg problems.
Rue de l’abbaye in Tilly.
GPS: 50.588066,4.536034
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