Hermitage and chapel of Saint-Thibaut, Religious chapel and hermitage in Marcourt, Belgium.

The Hermitage and Chapel of Saint-Thibaut stands on a rocky spur overlooking the Ourthe Valley with architectural elements spanning several periods. The site comprises a chapel and an adjacent dwelling building, both perched at the top and offering sweeping views across the valley below.

In 1050 the Counts of Montaigu built a castle on this rock, with a chapel to Saint Theobald. The castle burned in 1413 after a dispute within the House of La Marck and was never rebuilt. After reported miracles, a cross was erected in 1603 and the chapel was built in 1639 on the site of a castle tower, with stone from the surroundings, lime from Hotton, slate from Dochamps and wood from Marcourt. A two-room hermitage was added in 1642 and the chapel was consecrated in 1660.

The chapel keeps a reliquary said to hold the head of Saint Theobald of Provins and fragments attributed to the True Cross. The caretaking association, made a Royal non-profit in 2020, organizes two pilgrimages a year. The last hermit, Jean-Gabriel Lardinois, reportedly lived only on alms brought by pilgrims until 1968.

A steep path climbs from the Ourthe at the foot of the hill to the chapel, passing the spring of Saint-Thibaut on the way. The site itself is freely accessible, while the chapel opens only occasionally. The buildings stand at 380 metres on the Mont Aigu, with the calvary and castle foundations to the west of the hermitage.

The chapel keeps a reliquary said to hold the head of Saint Theobald of Provins, along with alleged pieces of the True Cross. Its altar table is older than the building itself, taken from the ruined castle, and in 1730 Jean-Ernest de Loewenstein donated an altarpiece. The last hermit, Jean-Gabriel Lardinois, reportedly lived only on alms brought by pilgrims until 1968.