Discover the fascinating history of the St. Anne’s chapel!
The neo-Gothic chapel was built in 1864, but for reasons that aren’t entirely clear, it was never consecrated. Almost two centuries later, it’s being restored and given a new life that aligns with its original purpose: bringing people together. Two beautiful spaces within the contours of the chapel form a catalyst for the neighbourhood and for the region that facilitates social activities.
text: Westtoer - Horizon 2025
Find the hidden tattoos and discover the stories!
The façade of the new concrete annex was embellished with characteristic, hidden tattoos on top of the unique concrete texture. As the concrete external staircase guides you to the roof terrace, these tattoos take you on a captivating journey through the history of the Saint-Anne’s chapel.
Visit the chapel in various weather conditions and discover them all!
Made possible with the support of the province of West-Flanders.
Mulle de Terschueren Coat of Arms
In 1864, the wealthy Adélie Van der Meulen (1803 - 1875), from the Mulle de Terschueren family, had the Saint Anne’s Chapel built. The commission for the neogothic nave church went to Pierre Nicolas Croquison, the provincial architect. Allegedly, due to its incorrect north-south orientation, the chapel was never officially consecrated. In the Kortrijk region, even today, a construction oversight is still mockingly referred to as a ‘croquisonnerie’...
King Leopold II
Adélie’s daughter was suspected of being pregnant at the age of 22 after a royal encounter and was formally married to a much older man. However, rumors were rampant, claiming that the young Etienne was an illegitimate child of King Leopold II. Some believe that, in her desperation, Adélie had the Saint Anne’s Chapel built in the hope that higher powers would guide her wayward daughter back to the right path...
Genever Festivals
In the 19th century, various taverns in the area, such as “De Capelle” and “t’ Meyken,” warmly welcomed guests with homemade genever. During annual cycling festivals, participants rode around a genever barrel and had a motivating drink with each lap, resulting in a lively atmosphere...
Drunken Day Laborers
At the time, genever was consumed abundantly, primarily by poor day laborers and local brickmakers who sought to drown their poverty, often with a lot of unrest as a result. Adélie attempted to restore peace in the neighborhood by building the chapel.
The Poppy, symbol of War
On May 27, 1940, a day before the capitulation of Belgium, German troops entered Tielt. The invading troops suffered from “sniper psychosis”, the fear of being shot at from a window. Residents of Putterijstraat were driven out of their hiding places and herded into St. Anne’s Chapel. Men, women, and children had to lie on the cold floor. A machine gun was set up, and multiple times, a volley was fired just above their heads...
Cows in the chapel
After the original completion of St. Anne’s Chapel in 1864, the chapel was never consecrated. The real reason, it was whispered, was that the then-pastor of Dentergem was afraid of losing local parishioners to the new and better-located chapel. After 20 years of insistence, the battle was given up, and the chapel fell into disuse. The entire finished interior, including pews, cabinets, the altar, etc., was moved to the nearby nursing home. Over the years, the chapel deteriorated more and more until it became the well-known mysterious ruin. In the meantime, the building was repurposed as a local cow barn, where the cows were gathered for their annual vaccinations.
© beeldbank HK De Roede van Tielt
More about the historic Mulle de Terschueren family...
The Ter Schueren Estate of the Mulle family
The Mulle family originated from Gullegem, where they held a prominent position. In 1692, Gilles Mulle (1629-1724) purchased the Ter Schueren Estate, a lordship located in Sint-Eloois-Winkel (later Demanshoeve). Descendant Pierre Bernard (1755-1810) left the family home of Ter Schueren and settled in Ghent, where Emile Pierre was born in 1795. It must have been a difficult birth because mother Marie Joséphine Delcambe died in childbirth. When Emile Pierre also lost his father in 1810, the young man moved to Tielt. In Ieperstraat, he had a nearly exact replica of his parental home in Ghent constructed, possibly to compensate for the loss.
‘Without labor, nothing at Ter Schueren’
He married Adélie Van der Meulen, a 22-year-old notary’s daughter from Dentergem, in 1825. Emile Pierre Mulle, as the only child, saw his family’s wealth grow further through this marriage. In 1845, Emile Mulle was ennobled and allowed to add ‘de Terschueren’ to his family name. To perpetuate his nobility, he chose a family coat of arms and a motto: “Without labor, nothing at Ter Schueren.” The neoclassical mansion in Tielt remained occupied by the family until the death of Miss Emilie-Adelie Mulle de Terschueren in 1962.
A new neogothic chapel
Adélie Van der Meulen, Emile’s wife, seemed to be very concerned about the spiritual well-being of rural residents south of the Poelberg. In 1864, she had a chapel built on the triangular piece of land formed by the Tieltseweg and the then Klijtstraat. The adjacent Fever chapel had become too small for all the residents. The new neogothic chapel was dedicated to the Holy Mother Anna.
The chapel features two white stone-carved coat of arms, with the Mulle de Terschueren coat of arms on the left and the Van der Meulen shield on the right. They depict the founders and builders of the chapel. Above the entrance door, the statue of Saint Anne with two flaming hearts adorns the chapel. Mother Anna points to her child Mary and looks toward the Poelberg. The statue is made of iron-rich clay that bakes into a typical reddish-brown color.
From cowshed to event venue
When the bell-cote was ready to chime over Hoenderveld, Bishop Faict refused to consecrate the St. Anne chapel. The St. Anne chapel never became a chapel; the building degraded to a warehouse and cowshed.
Now, more than 160 years later, St. Anne can fulfill her function and bring people together within her old walls.
original text: Dentergem, Dentergem Cultuur, Nicolas Vannieuwenhuyze
