Sainte-Croix chapel

The Sainte-Croix chapel in Roman Païs is located on top of a steep hill and dominates the whole valley from which we can see the church, the castle and the village of Braine-le-Château. The Sainte-Croix Chapel, part of which goes back to the 16th century, is the oldest religious monument in the municipality. In 1616, the oratory was transformed to make it larger: it is composed of a nave with a three-part apse and a roof surmounted by an elegant bell tower. Inside are a 17th-century Baroque altar, a communion rail (1656), and an iron rod representing Christ’s height and which was brought back by a Crusader, according to legend. A 17th century painting above the altar recalls the miracle of the finding by Saint Helena of the True Cross. Each year at Braine-le-Château, on Sunday, 3 May or the following Sunday, at 10 am, upon the arrival of the procession that left the forecourt of the church ½ hour earlier, mass is celebrated there in celebration of the Finding of the True Cross.