History of St. Louis
In 1840, pastor Hellemons founded a monastic order to educate the youth of Oudenbosch. The boarding school is run by the Congregation of the Brothers of the Holy Aloysius Conzaga, better known as the friars of St. Louis. It all starts on a small scale, with just a few students and a superior, Father Vincentius. Soon the number of pupils is growing and more and more students from other places than Oudenbosch are admitted. The small home is extended with various new structures: the Maria home, the Vincentius building and the Aloysius building. These buildings are built around a large courtyard called the Cour. Finally, the chapel of St. Louis is built to close off the square.
Architecture
The Chapel dates from 1865 and was designed by Th. Florschutz, the art teacher at the institute, and Josephus Boosten, a friar. The chapel, like the Basilica, is reminiscent of St. Peter’s Chapel in Rome. Which is not surprising, as the first sketches were made by pastor Willem Hellemons. He’d studied in Rome and was impressed by Roman architecture.
The construction of the chapel started at the same time as the construction of the Oudenbosch basilica, but the chapel was already in use by 1866. The 30 metre high dome was realised in 1889, by professor Dr. C.J. van Swaay, a former student of the institute. In the chapel you’ll find beautiful decorations and ornaments, such as flower and leaf motifs on the ceiling and statues in the niches.
Het orgel is van de hand van Van Bijlaardt en dateert uit 1883. De overige internaatsgebouwen zijn in de loop der jaren verbouwd tot appartementen, verzorgingshuis en hotel. De Kapel, de voormalige internaatsgebouwen en de begraafplaats van de Broeders zijn aangewezen als Rijksmonument.
Evenementen bij Kapel St. Louis
Op gebied van (zakelijke) evenement wordt bekeken of Kapel St. Louis beschikbaar wordt gesteld hiervoor. Afhankelijk van je wensen informeren we met Convention Bureau Halderberge graag naar de mogelijkheden. Mail dan naar info@conventionbureauhalderberge.nl Kapel St. Louis is onder begeleiding van gidsen te verkennen? Een leuke break van je meeting of congres.