Salphen (also ''Zalfen'') is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

which is part of the village of

Oostmalle Oostmalle is a village which is located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The village itself is part of the municipality of Malle. Oostmalle was an independent municipality until 1976. It has a surface area of 28.27 km² and in 2004 had 6,5 ...

in the

Campine The Campine ( French ) or De Kempen (Dutch ) is a natural region situated chiefly in north-eastern Belgium and parts of the south-eastern Netherlands which once consisted mainly of extensive moors, tracts of sandy heath, and wetlands. It encom ...

region of

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

, Belgium. The history of Salphen dates back to the 13th century when in the records of the Chapter of Our Lady (Dutch: O.L. Vrouw Kapittel) of

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

it was called ''Zalhulfe''.

Chapel of Saint Anthony

The earliest traces of ''Zalhuffle'' date back to 1278. In 1625 the farmer Adriaan Mattheussen built a chapel for the people of

, which fled the village to escape the

Bubonic plague Bubonic plague is one of three types of plague caused by the plague bacterium (''Yersinia pestis''). One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and vomiting, as well a ...

. Two of his daughters and other relatives were among the victims. Because they were refused a burial in

Wechelderzande Wechelderzande is a ''submunicipality'' of Lille, situated in the Campine region of the Antwerp Province in Belgium. It has been part of the municipality of Lille since 1977. Overview Wechelderzande was first mentioned in 1182 and belonged th ...

, they were buried in Salphen. Adriaan Mattheussen built the chapel to commemorate the deceased. The chapel became a popular destination for pilgrims which visited the chapel. In 1710 a

bell A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inter ...

from the

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

bell founder Witlockx was installed in the chapel. However, the

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...

and the bell were removed in 1983. In 1726 the chapel was enlarged with the support of Robert Ots. The year of the enlargement of the chapel is placed in the wall, together with the initials of the

stonemason Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. It is one of the oldest activities and professions in human history. Many of the long-lasting, ancient shelters, temples, mo ...

''I.H.'' In 1734 a statue of the Our lady from the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

of the church of

Rijkevorsel Rijkevorsel () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the town of Rijkevorsel, , and . In 2021, Rijkevorsel had a total population of 12,262. The total area is 46.79 km². History Rijkevorsel ...

was placed in the chapel. In 1944 the chapel was destroyed by a

V-1 flying bomb The V-1 flying bomb (german: Vergeltungswaffe 1 "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Ministry of Aviation (Nazi Germany), Reich Aviation Ministry () designation was Fi 103. It was also known to the Allies as the buz ...

, but in 1945 the chapel could be used again.

Procession of Saint Anthony

Since 1971, the ancient Saint Anthony

procession A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner. History Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...

is restored, and it is being organized on the Saturday which is closest to 17 January, the

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...

of Saint Anthony. After

mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

, the heads of pigs are ''sacrificed'' to Saint Anthony and sold at an

auction An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition ex ...

, horses are blessed and a fire for Saint Anthony is made. A

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

is held until late at night.

References

* Father Theodoor De Molder, ''Geschiedenis van Oostmalle'', Turnhout, 1947

Sources

Malle history
(Dutch)

(Dutch) {{Authority control Populated places in Antwerp Province Malle

Chapel of Saint Anthony

Procession of Saint Anthony

See also

References

Sources