The former chapel the Helsdingen district is situated at the junction of Voorweg and Achterweg in Helsdingen. This chapel was probably founded in the 12th or 13th Century by Benedictine monks from St. Laurentius Abbey in Oostbroek, Utrecht. The monks of this abbey had a very strict code of discipline, meaning there was also a carcer ordinis: a dungeon of the monastic order. These monks cultivated the land for their mother monastery and organised the reclamations. They probably also built a chapel in Helsdingen shortly after their establishment.
It’s known that in the year 1297 these monks in Helsdingen ran a curtis (a village or farm) in Helsdingen. In 1…
The former chapel the Helsdingen district is situated at the junction of Voorweg and Achterweg in Helsdingen. This chapel was probably founded in the 12th or 13th Century by Benedictine monks from St. Laurentius Abbey in Oostbroek, Utrecht. The monks of this abbey had a very strict code of discipline, meaning there was also a carcer ordinis: a dungeon of the monastic order. These monks cultivated the land for their mother monastery and organised the reclamations. They probably also built a chapel in Helsdingen shortly after their establishment.
It’s known that in the year 1297 these monks in Helsdingen ran a curtis (a village or farm) in Helsdingen. In 1306, the lease on this land was transferred to the Lords of Vianen for one hundred and fifty pounds and two salmon per year. The date of foundation of the Helsdingen chapel is less clear. No early sources mention a chapel or small church in Helsdingen. As a result, the general view that this chapel is older than the Grote Kerk of Vianen cannot be proven. A comparison of the brickwork of the two churches showed that the current chapel was built in the 15th Century. Today, the chapel has been converted into a house.
Further reading: Cope reclamation, Helsdingen district, Grote Kerk Vianen (Great Church).
