The hermitage is located on top of the Schaesberg hill, on the edge of the Schaelsbergerforest. It is a rectangular chapel, with a small living space attached, all made out of white painted marl. The chapel has a crow-stepped gable and flèche, with on the north side a choir and apse, and on the south side a nave. Attached is a small living space, consisting of two rooms, with an upper floor and a basement. The lowest of these two rooms dates from the 15th century and was originally a hunting house of Schaloen Castle.[1]
East of the chapel are Stations of the Cross, built in 1843. The stations are presented by 14 marl pedestals, each with a niche containing a lithograph image behind glass, all grouped in a circle surrounding a central shrine, which represents a symbolic grave, with on top the Arma Christi.[1][2]
On the bottom of the Schaesberg hill, near a bridge across the river Geul to castle Schaloen, there are three small chapels dating from 1739, dedicated to saint Roch. The central chapel has a cross on top with a statue representing Jesus, while the outside chapels each have a statue on top, representing Mary and John the Baptist.[2]
The chapel and nearby Stations of the Cross have been a national monument since 14 March 1967.[3] It has a sign stating it is a monument of the province of Limburg. The province of Limburg officially does not have listed buildings, but it gives these signs to national monuments that get provincial financial support.[4] The area is property of Vereniging Natuurmonumenten and maintained by the Sjaasbergergank foundation.[2]
On the last Sunday of June a procession is held, the Sjaasbergergank. This procession is listed as national intangible cultural heritage.[5]
List of hermits
This is a list of all 16 hermits from 1688 until the last hermit died in 1930.[2]
^ abcd"De Kluis" (in Dutch). De Kluis Valkenburg. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
^"Hermitage at Schaelsberg" (in Dutch). Dutch monument registration. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014. (Click on "36829" to view)
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