Hachiville

Hachiville is a village in the commune of Wincrange, in northern Luxembourg., the village has a population of 181.Hachiville was a commune in the canton of Clervaux until 1 January 1978, when it was merged with the communes of Asselborn, Boevange, and Oberwampach to form the new commune of Wincrange. The law creating Wincrange was passed on 31 October 1977.The former commune of Hachiville included the villages of Hachiville, Hoffelt, Neumühle, Lehresmühle and Weiler.HistoryThe name Hachiville appears for the first time in a charter in the year 1130. It is believed, however, that the site has been inhabited since Celtic times and that it was occupied by the Romans. The village's greatest fame lies in its celebrated hermitage, which is probably located on an ancient Celtic place of worship.ChurchThe Altar ScreenThe carved altar screen now displayed in Hachiville's baroque parish church is considered one of Luxembourg's most precious art treasures. Originally housed in the hermitage chapel just outside the village, the piece, which appears to date from the sixteenth century, depicts scenes from the life and the passion of Christ. The hermitage chapel, Helzer Klaus, revered as a pilgrimage site in its own right, now contains a plaster copy of this original altarpiece. In 1973, Luxembourg issued a set of stamps depicting images of religious statues based on this altarpiece. A few years later, in August 1976, the altarpiece was stolen. Fortunately, it was found a little more than a month later, packaged and ready to ship abroad. The mystery of who planned the crime still remains.