Heilige Martinus

As far as can be determined, the name 'Beek' was first mentioned around 1500, in Gelderland fief deeds. The hamlet was then called: 'Leen ter Beke', 'Aen gen Beeck', or later 'ter Beeck in den kerspel Bracht'. In 1526, the village of Bracht was no more than a chapel, served from the old parish of Linne and Echt, in 1756 Bracht was called a parish and Beek also fell under that. However, according to a provision of Bishop Reginaldus, since 1696 the proceeds of 'Aen gen Beeck' had to go to Linne and not to Bracht. In the meantime, a chapel had been built in Beek. It is still there and bears the date 1791. It is crowned with a nice roof turret and has an altar from the 18th century. This chapel was dedicated to Our Lady from the beginning and was immediately served from Bracht. The pastor of this place had to ensure that the holy mass was read once a week in Beek. Because the number of believers in Beek increased over the years, the bishop of Roermond decided in 1932 to start building his own house of God on the spot and he appointed a rector. The church was built in 1933 to a design by J. Franssen. On 1 August 1946, the rectorate was elevated to a parish with H. von Schwarzenberg as the first pastor. During the month of December 1944, the church was hit by several grenades. However, the damage was minor. Even the windows by René Smeets in the chancel were preserved. The church of Brachterbeek was the only one in the immediate vicinity that had come off so well. Pious souls attributed this to the fact that the church was dedicated to the Sacred Heart and pointed out that other Sacred Heart churches in Roermond, Tegelen and Venlo were also spared. (Source: The destroyed churches in Limburg/A. van Rijswijck, pr. - 1946)

A church in Maasbracht was already mentioned in 1265. The tower is from the 14th century, although some believe that it was built in the 13th century. In 1695 the church was enlarged and then offered space for 600 believers. In 1785 another expansion took place and in 1867 a porch was added. In 1890 a new church was built to a design by Jules Kayser. This church was badly damaged by British artillery fire at the end of 1944. After that temporarily in the emergency church in the Sientjes hall . In 1949 new construction while retaining the old tower. In 1948-1949 a new church was built, with Alphons Boosten as the architect. In 1950-1951 the tower was restored.

The Stefanuskerk in Zoelen, named after the first martyr, was built in the 15th century. The nave of the church is built in the Lower Rhine style of brick. The walls were plastered white. Here and there bears support the walls of the church. Brick was also used for the construction of the tower. The tower walls were then covered with tuff. The 36-metre high tower rises high above the landscape. The bell that now hangs in the tower was cast in 1950. It bears the inscription "I mourn the dead and call the living to their God". This bell replaces the bell from 1924, which was removed by the Germans in 1943. The pulpit was made in 1641. The pulpit Bible dates from 1657. A funeral board from 1603 hangs in the church. During restoration work, graves of the Vijgh and Pieck families were found. These families lived in Zoelen Castle in the 17th and 18th centuries respectively. The organ was built in 1895 by the organ building family Van Dam.