NG 16 Promenade Saint-Léonard - Nassogne - Green rectangle markers

The Saint-Monon collegiate church, its ancient churchyard and picturesque lane of linden trees planted in 1803, have all been listed by the Royal Commission for Sites and Monuments. The church underwent restoration works in 1948-49 and, according to the chronogram above the entrance porch, the current building dates from 1661. The choir and the apse are built in typical 7th century Romanesque styleand the church nave was rebuilt in 1661.An educational board near the church entrance tells the story of the Holy Monon, a Scottish Monk whocame to Nassogne to evangelize our ancestors around 600. Inside the church, you can admirethe reliquary which contains the holy relics. Saint Monon is the Patron Saint of farmers who invokehis protection for their cattle and their crops. Each year (on the Sunday following Ascension), the reliquary is taken from the collegial church to the Saint-Monon chapel, during the procession that is locally known as the Procession des Remuages (i.e. ‘the riddling procession’). During the procession, the pilgrims, for the vast majority farmers, rub the shrine with handfuls of grass or shrub branches. The blessed crops are then fed to their livestock, in the hope that this will protectthem from harm until the following year.

Here stands the Saint-Léonard chapel, a modest yet picturesque oratory dating back to1877.Near the 14th Station of the Cross, there is a cave that is closed by a metal gate. Until 1969,this cave contained a ‘Dead Christ’.The path used to be bordered by plain wooden crosses. Mr. Leblanc, who owned a secondhome in Nassogne, was injured in Maastricht during the early days of the 1940-45 warHe then made the promise that if he ever set foot in Nassogne again, he would replacethe wooden crosses by stone ones. He remained true to his word, and you can now admire theresult. You can read more about this chapter of our history on the educational board. The cross opposite the chapel was placed there by the jeunesse ouvrière catholique (i.e. the YoungChristian Workers movement, also known under the acronym J.O.C.) and was officially inaugurated in 1930.The two cellars that are located behind the chapel are probably the remains of the hermitage that was rebuilt after a fire in 1712.

The water tower that looms before you was erected in 1928. The fresco was painted in July 1999 by the painter Serge Nanson. The colourful fresco depicts the aquatic and migratory animals that live in and aroundthe Les Goffes pond and its lovely little islet.For a fee you can fish here on Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays (from the 1st weekend in April till end February), and every day in July & August.