About this place
Sint-Gertrudiskapel is a small Baroque chapel standing in the castle park of Gaasbeek, next to the ponds southeast of the main castle building. It was built between 1625 and 1628 on the initiative of Count René de Renesse de Warfusée, an eccentric owner of the estate who had purchased the castle in 1615 and harboured ambitious, sweeping plans for the whole domain. According to local tradition, the chapel was raised on the very spot where a hermit once lived, holding a particular devotion to Saint Gertrudis.
What does the chapel look like?
The building is a small single-nave structure with a polygonal closure and flanking tribunes on either side of the nave. It was built in the brick-and-sandstone combination typical of the region. Its facade is marked by a curved Baroque volute gable and a columned portico in hardstone. In front of the chapel, a brick surround with a hardstone balustrade was added in the second half of the 19th century around the Saint Gertrudis spring - the very source that has supplied water to the entire estate for centuries.
Who was Saint Gertrudis, the chapel's patron?
The chapel is dedicated to the early medieval Saint Gertrudis of Nivelles, known for her hospitality toward pilgrims and her care for the poor and needy. Devotion to the saint, tied to the spring at Gaasbeek, predates the chapel itself - it was this existing cult that prompted Count de Renesse to erect a sacred building on the site.
What is inside?
The chapel's centrepiece was an altarpiece depicting Saint Gertrudis, commissioned by the founder from Gerard Seghers, an artist regarded at the time as the most famous and wealthiest Flemish painter after the death of Rubens. The work, known as the "Vision of Saint Gertrudis", was hung above the high altar during the chapel's solemn consecration in 1628. Today a reproduction of the painting hangs inside the chapel, while the original awaits its return following a climate study meant to secure the right conditions for its display.
What does the restoration history look like?
The chapel underwent a thorough restoration, officially inaugurated by Flemish minister-president Jan Jambon during a ceremony marking its reopening to visitors. In parallel, with support from the King Baudouin Foundation's Baillet-Latour Fund, conservators spent two years working on the altarpiece itself, restoring the vision of Saint Gertrudis depicted in the painting. The restoration covered both the structure of the chapel and the setting of the spring in front of its facade.
Frequently asked questions
Where exactly is the chapel located? Within the castle park of Gaasbeek, next to the ponds, a short distance from the main castle building.
Who built the chapel? Count René de Renesse de Warfusée, owner of Gaasbeek Castle from 1615, known for his ambitious and controversial plans for the whole estate.
What is the main highlight inside? A reproduction of Gerard Seghers's Baroque painting of Saint Gertrudis - the restored original is due to return to the chapel after further study.
Where does the spring in front of the chapel come from? It is the Sint-Gertrudisbron, the Saint Gertrudis spring, which has long supplied water to the whole castle estate and was enclosed with a brick and balustrade structure in the 19th century.
Can the chapel be visited? Yes, following its restoration the chapel has reopened to visitors of Gaasbeek Castle.
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