Kapelle "Zur Hilligen Seele"

The chapel "Zur Hilligen Seele" used to be the destination of many pilgrims. The first wooden chapel is said to have been replaced by a stone building as early as around 1000, which essentially still forms the choir room today. Around 1406, the hermit Conrad, who lived in a hermitage near the chapel, asked the Prince-Bishop of Paderborn for an extension, which was built during the Thirty Years' War.

A legend tells that St. Meinolf saw a holy soul surrounded by glory descending from heaven at the site of the chapel. Another tradition tells that a shepherd found a cross of extraordinary splendor in a thorn bush at this location. A supposedly miraculous cross from the Middle Ages was actually venerated here for centuries. It was stolen in 1972 and has since disappeared. The current crucifix is a replica.

There is no precise documentary evidence of the construction of the Chapel of the Holy Soul. However, the Romanesque vaulted ceiling of the choir room suggests that it must have been built between the 11th and 12th centuries. Since the Middle Ages, it has survived under the protection of old lime trees and still attracts numerous worshippers today.

Hikers on the pilgrimage trail also make a detour to the chapel time and again to relax in the shade of the trees and enjoy the location.

The Hillige Seele is also often used for weddings or baptisms. For this, please contact the Borchen pastoral association.