"St. Astrid of Küssnacht"

Top: the mountains overlooking Lake Lucerne; Bottom left: "The King's Cross". Bottom center: perhaps the most famous photograph of Astrid, featuring her soulful beauty. Bottom right: Queen Astrid's memorial chapel.

The other day, I linked to an article by Alexander Schwartzenbach on the reactions to the death of Queen Astrid in Belgium and Switzerland. It is well known that Astrid was idolized by the Belgian people during her lifetime as an icon of beauty, romance and kindness, and that her terrible early death plunged her subjects into deep mourning. Perhaps less well known is the way the Swiss, particularly the people of Küssnacht-am-Rigi, took her to their hearts. I have been asked if a cultus ever developed around the Queen's memory, since she appears to have been a model Catholic. To an extent, this did occur. Schwartzenbach describes how she entered folklore in Belgium and Switzerland as a tenderly revered tragic heroine, almost a saint or a martyr.

Central to the pious cult of Astrid's memory, of course, was the scene of the tragic car accident, heavily laden with Catholic symbolism. While the numberless flowers, wreaths and candles deposited there in the aftermath of the tragedy were universal signs of mourning, many of the mourners explicitly portrayed their visit as a pilgrimage. The Feasts of All Saints and All Souls, November 1 and November 2, 1935, saw the peak of this religious activity. Then, in June, 1936, came the solemn, poignant consecration of the Queen's memorial chapel and the "King's Cross", marking the place where Astrid died in her husband's arms. Msgr. Colle, chaplain of the Belgian Royal Court, offered Mass in the presence of Belgian war invalids, other Belgian mourners, and Belgian, Swedish and Swiss dignitaries. King Leopold was too overwhelmed with grief to attend, although there were rumors that he visited the site incognito as early as May, 1936.

Küssnacht-am-Rigi

Views of beautiful Küssnacht-am-Rigi, Switzerland, on the north shore of Lake Lucerne. Tragically, this is where lovely young Queen Astrid of the Belgians (with her unfortunate husband at the wheel) died in a car accident. A memorial chapel was built at the site of the crash, see HERE for photos.

Courtesy of Simon Koopmann.
Courtesy of Andrew Bossi.

According to legend, this is where Wilhelm Tell shot the tyrannical Austrian bailiff with his crossbow. The district's name apparently derives from the Latin Cossiniacum, referring to the estate of the Roman noble, Cossinius. Over time, however, it has been corrupted to Küssnacht ("kiss night" in German). Certainly an evocative name for a place where a great love was lost forever.

Queen Astrid Memorial

The chapel erected in memory of Queen Astrid in Küssnacht-am-Rigi, Switzerland, the site of the tragic car accident in 1935. The Swiss government gave the land to Belgium in 1936 and the chapel is built of Belgian materials, in the style of a Walloon country church.
Coat of arms with Belgium's motto: "l'union fait la force" ("union makes for strength").
Inside the chapel. The windows illustrate different scenes from Astrid's life.
"The King's Cross," made of Swedish granite, where the Queen died in her husband's arms. In 1992, a hail storm destroyed over 2000 trees in the area, including the one the royal car had crashed into; only the stump remains.

(Photo credits)