Hemdener Kreuz - Bocholt

From 1672 to 1674, the prince-bishop of Münster, Christoph Bernhard von Galen (nickname: Bommen Berend), waged war against the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. When the Cologne Peace Decree was decided in April 1674, Von Galen was forced to withdraw from the Dutch territories. Calvinism celebrated its heyday in the Netherlands at that time. As a result, Catholics were prohibited from practising their faith. To still allow Catholics in the Dutch villages of Aalten and Bredevoort to express their faith, Von Galen had nine mission posts built along the border. One of these was the Kreuzkapelle in Hemden.

Every Sunday, local Catholics went to this refuge chapel. They dressed in their work clothes and transported themselves to the chapel in their implements, so they would not stand out as churchgoers. In 1751, the parish of the Chapel of the Cross had 27 German and 451 Dutch members.

The Cross Chapel was dedicated to St Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine. She was the pilgrim who found remnants of the cross of Christ in the Holy Land. Aalten has always been associated with Helena since then, as the name of the old church on the Markt also attests. But Helena churches can also be found in the German towns of Barlo and Hemden.

At the end of the 18th century, the people of Bredevoort and Aalten regained freedom of religion and were allowed to practise Catholicism at home again. As a result, the cross chapel lost its function. In 1823, after Pope Pius VII switched to the ‘Dutch Mission’ and decided that Dutch Catholics were no longer part of this parish, the chapel was demolished.

In memory of the cross chapel, you will find a crucifix and a stone memorial table at this spot. It recalls a time of religious oppression and the tolerance and helpfulness of the border residents, who welcomed each other and practised their religion together.

This place is visited annually around 14 September, the feast day of the Raising of the Cross. Dutch and German believers of the Helena faith communities gather at the altar around this day and commemorate the chapel and Saint Helena.