Of shale and sandstone

How fortunate we are to have so many "building stones" in our basement. In this part of the Ardennes, it is mainly schist and sandstone that we find, or even a mixture of the two. The churches built in these rocks draw a very particular strength of character from them... A route for lovers of climbing.

This tour is part of six tours designed by the Eglises Ouvertes network, "De clocher en clocher au coeur de l'Ardenne": 11 churches in La Roche-en-Ardenne, Rendeux, Manhay and Tenneville open their doors to you to share their history, their treasures and their unique atmosphere. Original and inspiring destinations for your family, walking, cycling or car trips. Discovery tools (adapted to children) await you there! Download our discovery brochure "From bell tower to bell tower in the heart of the Ardennes" (FR).

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1. Sainte-Marguerite Chapel in La Roche-en-Ardenne

   This touching building (1600), half excavated in the raw rock, belonged to an old hermitage. Many people still humbly come to pray there.

2. Church of Our Lady of Samrée

   The Notre-Dame church, renovated with great taste, and its old cemetery are worth a visit (in the hope that the building will be open).

3. Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Dochamps

   The inhabitants of Dochamps still remember the millennium of the parish, celebrated with great pomp in 2012. The current building, rebuilt after the terrible destruction endured during the Battle of the Bulge in winter 1944-45, was restored for the occasion. What a bright church, with its large windows and white plaster, combined with a high quality stucco ceiling (...)

4. Church of St. Hubertus in Berismenil

   St. Hubertus Church, unfortunately often closed, has very beautiful neo-Gothic furniture, decorated with many statues and bas-reliefs of careful workmanship.

5. Saint-Roch Chapel in Maboge

   Distant from nearly 7 km from the church of Samrée, their official parish, the inhabitants of Maboge decided in 1865 to build their own chapel, without having to cross the woods (and face a 320-metre drop) to attend religious services (...)

6. Church of St. Anthony in Warempage

   St. Antoine's Church, in the heart of the village, harmoniously combines several works of art from today with the neo-Gothic furniture typical of the building.

7. Saint-Hubert Chapel in Herlinval

   First of all, it is the environment of this small chapel made of schist and rubble that will enchant you: a small green meadow surrounded by a low wall, a nearby stream, a bench to sit down and contemplate the landscape and the village houses (...)

8. Church of Saint-Rémy in Ortho

   Ortho is a very old locality and has long been the primary church in the region. From the first construction, an outbuilding of the abbey of St-Hubert, there remains the bell tower (formerly used as a fortified refuge), which probably dates back to Romanesque times (...)

9. Church of Saint-Lambert in Buisson

   The village of Buisson is highly appreciated by walkers, cyclists and hunters. The church, recognizable from afar by its white plaster that shines in the sun, is welcoming and open all year round. It was built at the beginning of the 19th century, but several elements of its interior decoration date back to the previous century (...)

10. Church of St. Nicholas in La Roche-en-Ardenne

    A pearl of the tourist Ardennes at the end of the 19th century, La Roche-en-Ardenne had to have the most beautiful and largest church in the area. The one that stands today in the centre of the city, a remarkable neo-Gothic building, was inaugurated in 1901. It follows an older church, with a baroque bulbous bell tower that made its fame for a long time (...)