Notre Dame Chapel in Bellefontaine

The Notre Dame Chapel in Bellefontaine gets its name from a spring. According to legend, in the sixteenth century a wounded warrior plunged his bloody hand in the water while invoking the Virgin. It is said that it was immediately healed and, in gratitude, he placed a picture or statue of Mary there. Rapidly known throughout the region, the site became a popular pilgrimage destination.<br/>
Around the middle of the 18th century a chapel was built, the maintenance of which was entrusted to a hermit. It escaped the revolutionary turmoil and remained a place of celebration for the faithful of the two neighbouring areas. In 2000, the chapel was designated as the official Jubilee pilgrimage in the Sundgau area. Each year, on the feast of St. George, riders go there to bless their horses. Text by Marc GLOTZ