20. The "Maron" chapel, Saint-Mard
The origin of this chapel remains unknown. It is often called “chapelle Maron” (Maron’s chapel) or “chapelle des Marrons” (Chestnuts chapel). This 17th-century chapel might have got its name from a certain Maron - a patronym which died out – who owned the land on which the chapel was built. Surrounded by four lime trees and two hawthorns (no chestnut trees though), the chapel is located on the south-facing slope of the Mageroux plateau. Halfway between Virton and Vieux-Virton, this chapel was still totally isolated at the end of the 18th century.
The walls of this quadrangular chapel were erected with the help of freestone quoins.
The chapel is covered with a Roman-tiled saddleback roof. The front counts four openings: the doorway with its basket-handle arch, topped by an oculus and flanked by two rectangular openings. These two openings, which used to allow lepers to attend church, have now been closed up. On each side wall, one will notice a barred window.