Boskapel, Baroque chapel in Buggenhout, Belgium
Boskapel is a baroque chapel situated at the forest's edge and marked by a 1764 bell tower with terracotta reliefs depicting the Seven Sorrows of Mary on its outer walls. The building sits within walking trail networks that cross the surrounding woodland.
The chapel was founded in 1504 after Jacoba van Heffene commissioned it following her husband Jan De Rijcke's death in a hunting accident with a wild boar. Over the centuries the structure was expanded and shaped in baroque style.
The chapel serves as a place of Marian devotion where visitors encounter stations dedicated to the rosary as they walk through the forest. Local people use it as a quiet prayer spot surrounded by trees and green paths.
The chapel is reached via marked walking trails in the Brabantse Kouters network that runs through Buggenhout Forest. Good footwear is advisable as path conditions vary depending on weather and season.
The interior holds a baroque altar from 1680 and an organ built by craftsman Nicolaas Langlez in 1686, originally from a parish church. This relocation of a pipe organ from a larger church to a small forest chapel shows how these buildings adapted over time.
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