Monument De Beerse Strijkster
It is Maundy Thursday in 1865. Dark clouds are gathering over the old St Willibrord's Church in Middelbeers. And then: a flash, followed by a loud bang - lightning strikes the church. There are three women inside; one of them dies, another is fine and the third is injured on her hand. And it is precisely to that hand that the woman attributes healing powers from that moment on. If she stroked a wound, it would heal. From far and wide, she was visited by desperate people looking for healing. She is popularly known as De Beerse Strijkster.
The Strijkster so many centuries later is still...
It is Maundy Thursday in 1865. Dark clouds are gathering over the old St Willibrord's Church in Middelbeers. And then: a flash, followed by a loud bang - lightning strikes the church. There are three women inside; one of them dies, another is fine and the third is injured on her hand. And it is precisely to that hand that the woman attributes healing powers from that moment on. If she stroked a wound, it would heal. From far and wide, she was visited by desperate people looking for healing. She is popularly known as De Beerse Strijkster.
The Strijkster is still present in the village so many centuries later. First of all through the name 'Strijkersgat' that Middelbeers carries with Carnival. And since 2020 in the form of this statue, as an ode to the legend. The sculpture was created by artist Tom l'Istelle and is part of the project Landkunst Dal van de Kleine Beerze.