Chapel route in the vicinity of Roeselare

This route introduces you to the West Flemish city of Roeselare and a number of chapels in its outskirts. Roeselare has been an important trading town since the tenth century. When the city temporarily falls into French hands through the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678, smuggling suddenly forms a large part of the'trade\\\'. Nowadays, trade mainly takes place in shops, if you want to shop, the Ooststraat is the place to be. The route leads you east out of the city, after which you drive through the countryside to various characteristic villages. You will pass several chapels, silent witnesses of the veneration for all kinds of saints. At Koolskamp, for example, you can see the Chapel of Our Lady (1975) in the Lavendelstraat. Just outside the village is the Bomkapel. Every year on June 20, a group of pilgrims from the church in Koolskamp go to the chapel to commemorate the Miracle of 1944. Miraculously, no one was killed in a heavy bombardment near the Bomkapel: none of the visitors who were praying in and around the chapel at that time were even injured. You will arrive in Tielt approximately halfway through the route. The oldest mention of this town dates from 1105 and concerns the tax paid by the lord of a Tielt villa. In 1245, Tielt was granted city rights. In the following centuries, part of the city was occasionally destroyed by a city fire or when the people of Ghent came to war again. During the First World War, the headquarters of the German Fourth Army was located in a number of Tielt mansions. This army consisted of 180,000 men who were active in Belgium. The city center is worth a visit: the Hall Tower from 1275 - where cloth used to be traded - is even on the World Heritage List. On the way back to Roeselare you will pass the white-painted Koortskapel. This chapel is dedicated to Saint Anna, the patroness who must assist the family in case of illness. The original, more modest version of this chapel already appears in a church account from 1643. There is a spelling error above the door of the chapel!