Puits Sainte-Renelde in Tubize, Belgium

Saintes is a Belgian village located 30 minutes’ drive southwest of Brussels. It lies between the towns of Enghien and Hal, home to the famous Blue Forest of Hal. Everything in this small village is connected in one way or another to Renelde of Saintes, a devout woman who lived there in the seventh century. She was elevated to the status of a saint, and the village church is dedicated to her. Her reliquary is paraded on a horse-drawn cart every year. The most unusual feature associated with her, however, is a well in the countryside to the south of the village.

To understand this well, we must first talk about Renelde of Saintes. She was the sister of Saint Gudula, the patron saint of Brussels. When their parents separated to enter religious life, Renelde wanted to follow her father to Lobbes Abbey, but was refused. She then set out on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Upon her return, she settled on a farm south of the village of Sainte with her two faithful servants, Grimoald and Gondulphe. It is most likely that she chose this location because her family owned land there. “Laubecq Farm”, also known as “Sainte-Renelde Farm”, is believed to be located on the site of Renelde’s farm: it is situated 100 metres west of the well. Renelde and her two servants were murdered there by the Huns around 680. She was considered a martyr and was canonised as a saint.

According to legend, Renelde struck the ground with his staff on a sweltering day, causing a spring to gush forth so that his servants could quench their thirst. It is not surprising that water can be found here, given that the valley bottom and the confluence of two streams are the location in question. Nevertheless, this spring has become a place of pilgrimage. It is believed that the water has curative properties for stroke, paralysis, ocular maladies, and ulcers.

At an unknown date (perhaps in the 17th century), a limestone well was built. On the front, there is a depiction of Saint Renelde. She is holding a pilgrim’s staff in her right hand. In her left hand, she is holding a martyr’s palm. Saintes was where Father Steen was appointed in 1851. Since the well had fallen into disrepair, he restored it. The stone well was raised by 70 cm and topped with a canopy supported by six columns that hold a statue of the saint. This cast-iron statue weighs 233 kg. It is a copy of a wooden statue (circa 1490–1500) that is preserved in the village church.

The jug of water from the well can be raised by pulling on the chain hanging from the canopy. The water is not officially considered potable (i.e. it is not tested regularly as required by Belgian law). However, even today, it is not uncommon to see people drawing water from it to pour over certain parts of their bodies (or even to drink it).