Office de Tourisme Cassel Horizons

This big burg stretches all along the roads which cross there and as far as the railway track goes through it. There are some old houses. Some of them date from the 16^th century.

You could see a splendid church, built between 1593 and 1609 on the ruins of a shrine built in ferruginous sandstone, of which there are still elements in the base of the current church. This shrine was burnt twice during the unrest which disrupted the region in the middle of the 16^th century.

This is a great example of “hallekerque” (church-hall) with its three naves which are low but have the same height.

Inside, the walls are covered with beautiful panelling. The panelling of the chancel was built at the beginning of the 19^th century (the mercy seats on the stalls are funny). The panelling of the aisles was built at the end of the 19^th century.

The confessionals, the organ (1771) and the pulpit (1780) were made by a local joiner and are older than the rest of the church. On the banister of the pulpit, three medallions tell the story of Jonah.

The lateral altars, especially the one of the Virgin (1715) whose flower decoration is luxuriant, are a feature of the Flemish baroque style.

On the walls, you will see a triptych from the Flemish school of the 17^th century which shows the Coronation of the Virgin Mary, as well as the donors and their patron saints. There are also several paintings made by local artists, such as Alexandre Bafcop, a native from Cassel.

This church is the centre of a pilgrimage dedicated to Saint Gohard. According to the legend, he was priest in Arnèke around the year 1000 before becoming the bishop of Hildesheim in Germany. However, it is still necessary to prove it.

People came from everywhere to be cured of rheumatism and sciatica by praying in front of his reliquary bust. The novena takes place from May 1^st to May 9^th.

When you go out, you will see on the left side of the porch, the old millstone on which the garde champêtre (combination of forest ranger, game warden and police officer) perched to give the public notices after the mass.

Since the 12^th century, there had been, nearby the church, an inn which welcomed the pilgrims who came from afar. It has been turned into a rest-home since the end of the 19^th century. This change is due to the liberality of a lady. In fact, when she died, she left the rest of her fortune to her housekeeper and her gardener, upon condition that they get married... What they did!

Arnèke has two giants, Lucien II and Amélie who got married in the town.

To get more information about the history of this village, you can upload audio guides on the home page of our website.