Notre-Dame du Chêne Chapel

In the heart of the Illwald forest stands the Notre-Dame du Chêne chapel, a place rich in history and popular devotion. According to tradition, its construction dates back to the 18th century, after a statuette of the Virgin was found in a boat by a fishing couple. Originally, the statue was simply placed in the trunk of an old oak tree, giving rise to a modest sanctuary. Without a forest path until the late 19th century, access to the chapel was by following the course of the Schiffweg, a branch of the Ill, hence its other name, the Schiffwegkapelle.

After the French Revolution, the chapel benefited from the closure of the Notre-Dame des Neiges chapel, which had been vandalized and banned from worship. In 1798, a municipal decision to cut down the oak tree sheltering the statuette caused a strong outcry among the locals. A niche was then carved into a nearby oak to preserve the statue.

On the night of June 17 to 18, 1925, the chapel was completely destroyed by fire.

Quickly rebuilt on the same model but in reinforced concrete to prevent another disaster, it was restored and inaugurated in 1927, as evidenced by the date engraved above the door.

Today, the chapel is only visible from the outside.