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Roadside Chapels

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Roadside chapels are unique to Belgian Catholics.  These small, square buildings are used as a place to worship and honor a saint or Virgin Mary.
The structural design is replicated throughout the peninsula.  Chapels are typically around 9 feet long and 7 feet wide.  A cross is placed above the door or on the peak of the roof dating back to the 1800s.  French inscriptions are sometimes found above the door.  Usually chapels have no windows, but sometimes a window can be present in the door.

Source: Laatsch & Calkins, 1992

 


The interior is coated with pale colored paint, possibly to emphasize the alter as the focus of the chapel.  The alter is placed directly opposite the door.  It is a place for religious artifacts and arranged in an asymmetric fashion.  A kneeling bench sits in front of the alter as a place for prayer.  The only other furniture found in roadside chapels is a wooden chair.  Special certificates such as birth, death or marriage, hang about the walls.  The Personal certificates found about the walls attest to the function of the chapels as a welcoming place to pray for not only the family, but the entire community.

A guestbook can be found in almost every chapel in Door County reinforcing the welcoming atmosphere of the buildings.  Guests are encouraged to sign their name and where they come from before kneeling to pray.  The origin of these structures come from Belgium, but are unique to Belgians in Wisconsin.  Most roadside chapels are open to the public.  A map on the following page displays the locations of all the roadside chapels in Door County.