All hikes in the Ardennes

From the car park (information panel for the former Pays des Sources in the Val de Bar), take the D3 towards Villers-le-Tilleul for a few metres, then turn left onto the track leading to the farm (former abbey dwelling). Walk along the back of the buildings and continue along the track on the right. First through fields (a fishing pond on the right) and then into the forest, it leads to the site of the Saint-Roger chapel (rebuilt in 1733 on the site of miraculous springs; triple-entry pool in front of the chapel).

Arboretum of Elan

Located in the forest of Elan, around the site of Saint Roger, this arboretum of the ONF will allow you to observe trees such as oak, beech, hornbeam, maple ... and shrubs like elderberry or mountain ash. Explanatory boundaries will help you better recognize and understand these species.

Nearby St Roger's Chapel and its basins of amenities.

Walk along the stream and round the second pool (known as the Fontaine aux Corbeaux).

Saint Roger's chapel

Situated on the edge of the forest, Saint Roger's chapel is the starting point for some superb walks.
This chapel is located on the site of the spring whose waters were said to be miraculous by the abbey's founder - Saint ROGER.
The monks turned the springs into ornamental pools.
The site of the Saint-Roger chapel is a pleasant place to stroll, ideal for recharging your batteries, meditating or just wandering around...
A surrounding arboretum, created by the ONF, completes the discovery of the site.

Turn right onto the gently sloping path (arboretum) and, on the right, merge onto the D33.

Saint-Roger springs and chapels

In 1148, the Count of Rethel commissioned a monk from the English coast to establish a chapel at Elan. It was here that Saint Roger spent the last years of his life, performing many miracles. One of these was to make the waters of the fountain so icy that they cured love fevers, languor and sterility. From this time onwards, the sepulchre and springs of Elan became a famous place of pilgrimage. In front of the chapel, a triple-entry pool symbolises the Holy Trinity.

Cross the D33 (beware of traffic) and take the forest track opposite, which overlooks the road. Go downhill until you come to the first houses in Elan and then rejoin the D33.

"La Manse Abbatiale d'Elan" (Manse Abbey of Elan)

The church of Notre-Dame d'Élan is located in the heart of the village, on the site of a former Cistercian abbey that was remodelled in 1720 and again in 1840, when it became a parish church.
Only the first two bays of the nave remain, and the church is rectangular in plan. The exterior portal is made up of four Corinthian columns.
On the edge of the forest stands the abbey's manor house, flanked by four towers (private property, visible from the outside only). It features a remarkable roof structure in the shape of an upside-down boat hull.
Not far away is the church of Notre Dame d'Élan, an 18th-century church with a magnificent portal.
Don't miss the magnificent walk around the Chapelle Saint Roger.
This chapel stands on the site of a spring made miraculous by the abbey's founder - Saint Roger.
Finish your visit with the arboretum offered by the ONF.

Nearby is a fishing village called "Les Étangs d'Élan".