Nederland - Assel, Heilige Geest Kapel

Assel is a small hamlet with just more than ten houses. It also has a natural cemetery with a little chapel: Heilige Geest Kapel (Holy Ghost Chapel). This chapel was built in 1940 for the Catholics of Radio Kootwijk, because there was no church for them in the vicinity. The inhabitants raised money themselves and thus the church could be built on a piece of land that was donated. The rectangular brick chapel was built after a design by architect Jan van Dongen Jr., who was also the master builder of two other catholic churches in Apeldoorn.

The chapel is part of the Westerwolde estate, which was founded by the Amsterdam lawyer W.J.M. Westerwoudt. The chapel is surrounded by hundreds of graves of the first natural cemetery of the Netherlands. Since 1955 the cemetery is open for not-relatives of the owners. The walled family cemetery (PiP 2) - on the tower side of the chapel - is separate from the natural cemetery. Five members of the Westerwoudt family are buried there.

Nowadays every Sunday the Heilige Geest Kapel is till used for services for believers from the area and for people who have buried their families and acquaintances here. The chapel is also rented out for funeral services, weddings and even concerts.