Munstergeleen
| Munstergeleen | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates: 50°58′29″N 5°52′0″E / 50.97472°N 5.86667°E | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | Limburg |
| Municipality | Sittard-Geleen |
| Population (2008) | 5,090 |
Munstergeleen is a village in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is located in the municipality of Sittard-Geleen, and it lies in the Western Mine Region (Westelijke Mijnstreek in Dutch).
No one knows exactly how Munstergeleen was named. However, it is near the city of Geleen and the Dutch word munster can refer to a monastery. In the second half of the 12th century Munstergeleen was home to a Roman Catholic institution (called a proosdij in Dutch) that was commonly associated with a monastery. Evidence for Munstergeleen's early existence is provided by an explicit mention of Munstergeleen in the records of Cloister of St. Gerlach, in Houthem, Netherlands, in the year 1202. The context of the records makes it clear that Munstergeleen had already existed for some time by the beginning of the 13th century.
Munstergeleen was a separate municipality until 1982, when it was merged with Sittard.
During the time that it was a separate municipality, Munstergeleen had its own flag consisting of two equally wide stripes of blue and red and a yellow hoist-triangle along the left-hand edge. A white sword symbolizing Saint Pancratius is centered on the blue stripe, a white pair of pliers symbolizing Saint Apollonia is on the red stripe, and a black snakehead cross from the Sittard Coat of Arms is in the yellow hoist-triangle. This flag is depicted at the "Flags of the World" website.
Since the majority of people in the province of Limburg are Roman Catholics, it's not surprising that both houses of worship in Munstergeleen are Roman Catholic. The primary Roman Catholic church in Munstergeleen is Pancratiuskerk (Pancratius Church) and was built in 1924-25. The church was designed by Nico Ramakers and contains leaded-glass windows by Jacques Verheyen.
Roman Catholic masses are also performed in the Pater Karelkapel (Father Karel Chapel, i.e., Saint Charles of Mount Argus). This chapel was established in 1954, in the barn associated with a half-timbered double watermill. The first of the watermills was built in 1287 on Geleenbeek (Geleen Creek) and the buildings were substantially rebuilt in 1797. Father Karel Houben's birthplace is located in this watermill complex.
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