The Chapel of Saint Agatha

A Traveling Work of Art

Sculpted at the beginning of the 18th century in the style of the famous artist Jean Del Cour, this statue was first installed by the de Mérode family in the Gerhenne woods. Originally, it was sheltered in the hollow of a tree, right next to the pond!

Later, in 1844, it found sturdier shelter in a stone stele two meters high. In 1957, Father Reuter decided to move it from the woods and place it in the heart of the village, on the communal square of Haut-Fays.

Did you know? Since Saint Agatha’s departure, local foresters and railway workers have placed a small statue of Our Lady of Victories in the woods to occupy its original place.

Who Was Saint Agatha?

Saint Agatha was a young Christian woman who lived in 3rd-century Sicily. Even today, a Spanish tradition is observed here: her clothes are changed with the seasons. She wears a white dress in summer and a dark blue dress in winter.

She is traditionally invoked for the healing of breast ailments, in memory of the suffering she endured during her martyrdom.