Saint Irmgadis

Saint Irmgadis lived in seclusion in the Lower Rhine and helped the poor and sick, her bones are now in Cologne Cathedral.

On a summer day, a noble rider is said to have visited Saint Irmgadis and tried to kidnap her. With difficulty she fended off the rider and said the following saying accordingly: “As far as my bell sounds, all castles and all genders (nobles) who live on them will die out in the area.” [Quelle Nießen, Sagen und Überlieferungen vom Niederrhein] Which happened later. And centuries later, when someone had lost their belongings, people said, “The bell of the saints Irmgadis has rung.”

Saint Irmgadis

For St. Irmgadis, this incident was reason enough to leave Heiligenberg and move to Cologne, where she had a hospital built, and helped the sick until her death. A few centuries have passed since then, but the people of the Lower Rhine region have not forgotten their saint Irmgadis to this day.

The chapel built on Heiligenberg in 1664 is still considered a place of pilgrimage today, and is particularly visited on the name day of September of St. Irmgadis. Because then believers from near and far celebrate the Irmgadisoktav with a procession that ends on the Heiligenberg at the chapel. The highlights are the church services in the forest, which take place directly at the chapel, and hikers can also hike in the footsteps of Heilgen Irmgadis to Helenabrunn, where Saint Irmgadis is said to have often walked during her lifetime. The path is signposted from the chapel.