History
The hermitage in Warfhuizen is a continuation of the tradition of hermits which arose in Limburg and North Brabant following the Counter Reformation. The last brother of that tradition died in 1930 in de Schaelsberg hermitage in Valkenburg aan de Geul. Contrary to most hermitages abroad, these hermitages featured a public chapel which often played a part in local devotions.
After a slow decline since the 1880s the number of Roman Catholic hermits in Europe started to increase again towards the end of the 20th century, although the Netherlands did initially lag in this development. There have always been members of religious orders who lived as hermits, but the 'true hermits' became extinct after 1930. The old hermitages were left empty and mostly disappeared. This bothered some of the faithful. In 2001 the empty church of the village of Warfhuizen was acquired by Catholics and a simple hermit's dwelling was realised in the bay adjacent to the tower, which since then has been inhabited by a hermit (Brother Hugo). The rest of the building serves as a chapel. The hermit is part of the Diocese of Groningen-Leeuwarden and has made his religious oaths to the bishop of that diocese.
Since the Second Vatican Council revitalised the hermetic ideal, a small amount of new legislation has been created. The Code of Canon Law (Codex Iuris Canonici, can. 603)) requires hermits to be more secluded than was the custom in the Netherlands. As a result, there is an enclosed area in Warfhuizen in which the hermit lives and works. In the chapel this is created by the large rood screen which separates the choir from the nave.
Read more about this topic: Our Lady The Garden Enclosed
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