Chapelle aux Sabots

Chapelle aux Sabots is a small 18th-century wayside chapel in Court-Saint-Étienne, in the Walloon Brabant province of Belgium. It stands at Rue Chapelle Aux Sabots 12, in the 1490 postal area. In the local Walloon dialect, this kind of roadside shrine is called a "potale" — a term used across the region for the many small votive chapels dotting country lanes and crossroads. The chapel is formally dedicated to Notre-Dame de Grâce, though locally it is better known under the name Notre-Dame aux Sabots.

Where does the name come from?

The name "aux Sabots" — literally "at the clogs" — has more than one explanation still told among residents of the area. One tradition holds that courting couples used to hang a wooden clog at the chapel, hoping to earn Our Lady's blessing on their budding romance. A darker, more dramatic version points to a local legend: two women are said to have quarreled here over matters of the heart and come to blows using wooden clogs, with one of them reportedly dying in the fight. The chapel, according to this story, was built as an act of atonement for what happened. Neither account is backed by documented history — both survive as oral tradition, part of what gives the site its particular local identity.

How has the chapel's location changed over time?

Chapelle aux Sabots did not always stand where it stands today. It was originally located at a crossroads where five roads met. That junction disappeared in 1958, when the new N275 road — locally known as the Chaussée de Bruxelles — was built through the area, connecting Villers-la-Ville to Brussels via Court-Saint-Étienne. Building the new route required removing the old five-way crossroads where the chapel had stood for generations. As a result, the chapel was dismantled and rebuilt the following year, in 1959, this time along the new road. The ceremony marking its relocation to the new site took place on 29 October 1959 and is still remembered as a notable moment in the local history of this corner of the municipality.

What architectural style does the chapel show?

The Chapelle aux Sabots is built in a classical style, typical of many votive roadside chapels erected across the region during the 18th century. It is a modest, small-scale structure — its significance lies not in monumental architecture but in the role it has played, and continues to play, in local religious tradition and in the collective memory of Court-Saint-Étienne residents.

What is the site used for today?

The area around the chapel today is not devoted solely to worship. The grounds at Rue Chapelle aux Sabots 12 also host an equestrian centre, known as Écurie Chapelle aux Sabots. This combination of a centuries-old sacred site with a present-day, secular use gives the location a distinctive, layered character — the quiet of prayer sits alongside the everyday rhythm of a working stable.

The chapel also remains an active part of the local religious calendar. Every year, on the first Sunday of September, a religious procession makes its way to Chapelle aux Sabots — a tradition that brings the community together and keeps alive the memory of the chapel's original votive purpose.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Chapelle aux Sabots located? At Rue Chapelle Aux Sabots 12, in Court-Saint-Étienne, in the Walloon Brabant province of Belgium (postal code 1490).

Where does the chapel's name come from? Most likely from the custom of courting couples hanging a wooden clog there, though a local legend also tells of a fatal quarrel between two women involving wooden clogs.

Why was the chapel relocated? Construction of the N275 road (Chaussée de Bruxelles) in 1958 removed the five-way crossroads where it originally stood; it was rebuilt at its current site the following year.

What can be found near the chapel today? An equestrian centre, Écurie Chapelle aux Sabots, and once a year, on the first Sunday of September, a religious procession to the site.