History
THE DOMINION OF THE CHAPEL
The charming name ‘Château de la Chapelle’ comes from the castle chapel that’s located inside the château. This ancient chapel is dedicated to the sacred Saint Blaise, one of the Holy Helpers.
‘Château de la Chapelle’ has already been mentioned in October 1245. At that historic time, it was an “alleu” which means a free country dependent only on ‘God and the sun’. In 1314 the château became a “fief” which means it was a piece of land that is entrusted to the Duchy of Limburg ruled by the Duke of Brabant John I. The folk hero John I conquered the Duchy of Limburg in the intense battle of Woeringen in 1288.
As early as the 13th century the lord Jean de la Chapelle was mentioned. One of the sons of Jean succeeded him. Afterwards, Godefroid de la Chapelle, the grandson of Jean, followed him. Godefroid de la Chapelle was married to the lovely Marguerite de Seraing. After Godefroid died in 1372, Marguerite remarried Robert de Juppleu who became the lord of la Chapelle by this union.
Their daughter Catherine de Juppleu inherited the magnificent estate. The daughter of Catherine, Alix (Elise Alid Aélis), married Guillaume de Hosden who became lord of la Chapelle.
From 1512 to 1532, the impressive estate belonged to their second son Guillaume de Hosden. He passed it to his son and successor Louis de Hosden. His daughter Catherine de Hosden married the highly praised Henri de Berlaymont. In 1557 Henri de Berlaymont was elected as Grand Mayor of Liège.
The descendants of Henri de Berlaymont were able to keep the lordship from 1585 until the French Revolution in 1789. The property then passed to the Donnéa family as shown on the pediment of the castle by the epigraphic inscription: “M.I.D. de Donnéa 1808”.
Jean-Louis was the last born of the Berlaymont de la Chapelle family. His inheritors sold the property to Walthère Jamar de Ghysens in 1828. Walthère left the château to his daughter Maria by succession. Her daughter Maria-Elisa inherited this outstanding property and married Georges Dodémont. Their children sold the domain to the industrialist Mr. Moës in 1946.
Mr. Jacques Cession acquired the estate from Mr. Moës, who had previously sold it to its former proprietor, Yvo Alen. In 2021, subsequent to the meticulous restoration of both the château and its surrounding estate, Grand Foulard, under the stewardship of cultural entrepreneur Joachim Marijnen, assumed ownership of La Chapelle. This transition marked a transformative phase aimed at elevating the estate’s allure and unveiling it to the world as an extraordinary hidden gem, constituting an integral facet of an overarching and ongoing project.
