Saint Amandus

Market no. St. Amandus Church, neo-Gothic main parish church, almost completely rebuilt in 1893-1896 to the design of architect Jules Soete (Roeselare) to replace a baroque church that was constructed between 1715-1720 on the site of the old Romanesque church. Previously with an adjacent cemetery, which was closed down after the establishment of a new burial ground in Karel van Manderstraat in 1806. The interior was extensively altered in 1962-1963 to a design by architect R. Lernout from Geluwe. History. It is likely that a first place of worship was established in the 7th century at a junction of various connecting roads that gradually developed into a village square, probably erected in wood and clay. Around 1100, the first stone church is built, a Romanesque, three-nave hall church with a crossing tower, surrounded by a cemetery initially planted with grass and trees and enclosed on the south side. In 1163, Geraldus, bishop of Tournai, donates the patronage of the parish church of St. Amandus to the chapter of St. Salvator in Harelbeke, which takes over the tithing and gains the right to serve the parish and appoint the pastor. This church has five altars, stained glass windows depicting the noble families Veyse and vander Douve and several tombs. In 1566, the St. Amandus Church is temporarily spared by the iconoclasts when the villagers ring the storm bell. In 1572, they manage, together with the population of Pittem, Ingelmunster, Ardooie, and Koolskamp, to drive off the Geuzen. Nevertheless, the church's interior is damaged by Calvinist rioters in the subsequent years. Restoration works on the Romanesque church continue until the first half of the 17th century. On May 5, 1611, the St. Amandus Church is reconsecrated by the Bishop of Ghent, Maesius or Karel Maes, who also orders the cemetery to be completely surrounded by a wall. A new church organ is installed in 1637. In the copper engraving titled "Praetorium domini de Muelebeke familiae de Beer" included in "Flandria Illustrata" by Antoon Sanderus (1641-1644), the Romanesque three-nave hall church with crossing tower and high spire is depicted centrally in the background. A schematic representation of the church also appears on the overview map of the Kortrijk bailiwick prepared in 1641 by surveyor Lodewijk De Bersaques. On September 27, 1645, French troops set fire to the St. Amandus Church and the cemetery wall is completely torn down. In 1652, restoration works on the church begin with the support of the chapter of Harelbeke and the village administration. In 1669, organ builder Geeraert Middaert installs a new organ that remains in use until 1722. However, the church remains in a miserable state, and the works are only completed in 1715. On a map in the land register of 1654-1656, the St. Amandus Church is depicted at the "Mullebeek plaetse" with the cemetery to the south and the church meadows to the west. In 1705, the Dutch threaten to set fire to the St. Amandus Church, but in exchange for a financial contribution, the government can avert this. The same year, the administration takes precautionary measures to repair the wooden fence erected around the cemetery in 1703 and builds a guardhouse. Between 1715 and 1720, at the initiative of Pastor Jacobus Mys, the provisionally restored church is rebuilt in baroque style by entrepreneur Guillaume Nolf. Here, the transverse wall and the sacristy from 1709 are demolished. The three-nave church with three porches, an elevated central nave, and an octagonal tower with lantern, is given a new sacristy against the south façade. New altars and new church furniture are also installed. Jean Joseph Ghislain Ernest de Beer, canon and later provost of St. Salvator in Harelbeke, has the interior decorated with marble, including a large white marble slab for the family grave in the choir. In 1733, the southern part of the cemetery is enclosed by a wall and provided with an entrance featuring two iron gates between stone pillars with flower vases. In the years 1750-1760, Stations of the Cross are added to the cemetery wall. In 1790, the northern part of the cemetery is annexed to the market square. The St. Amandus Church is shown on a map section from the land book of the Bosterhout fief from 1785. In 1797, the church is closed and the goods confiscated; after the Peasants' War, the bells are taken away by the French army in 1799. On June 6, 1802, the church is reopened. In accordance with the imperial decree of Joseph II from 1784 that prohibits cemeteries in the center, a new burial ground in Karel van Manderstraat is taken into use in 1806 (cf. Karel van Manderstraat no.). In the same year, the walls of the old cemetery are torn down, and the southern portion of it disappears. This site is later developed as a public bleaching field and subsequently rented out and arranged as a municipal nursery, which, however, sees little success. In 1805, new choir stalls are placed in the church, and a year later a Stations of the Cross with seven scenes is installed, which is replaced by the current Stations of the Cross in 1850-1854. Around 1813, artist Serafijn Vermote (Moorsele, 1788 - Kortrijk, 1837) makes a drawing showing the St. Amandus Church as seen from the nearby church meadows. From 1823-1825, the church is extended to the north and south of the tower, and during the 19th century, restoration works are carried out on, among other things, the roofing, the belfry on the tower, and the windows. To conceal the traces of renovation, Meulebeek plasterer L. Vermeulen provides the exterior of the church with a rock plaster finish in 1869. In 1892, a decision is made to repair and enlarge the St. Amandus Church. Between 1893-1896, under Pastor Adolf Persijn, the church is expanded and rebuilt in neo-Gothic style to its current appearance according to the design of architect Jules Soete (Roeselare). The transept-less, three-nave hall church has a tall, slender west tower, three choirs, and a separate baptismal chapel and spacious sacristy on the south side. Only the south wall of the old church is preserved. Inside, the old Romanesque and 18th-century pillars are reinforced, and new columns are installed; new stained glass windows, a new choir gallery, church furniture, and polychrome paintings by Ghent artist Goethals are added, later executed in the choir by Block (Kortrijk). The church is consecrated on September 21, 1896, by the Bishop of Bruges, Waffelaert. In 1898, the Calvary Hill is added against the south façade, enlarged in 1907 with a Holy Grave. On October 7, 1900, the church council decides to convert the old cemetery into a "pleasure garden" with iron gates on either side and a passage for pedestrians, a design by master builder Soete. During World War I, the St. Amandus Church sustains damage to the tower, roof, east and south façades, later restored. In 1930, a pedestrian enclosure is placed along the inner courtyard of the former cemetery according to the design by master builder Verstraete (Izegem). In the 1930s, artist Leopold Sacrez (Meulebeke) (cf. Marktstraat no. 8) applies decorative paintings to the interior. During World War II, the church is damaged again and the bells are struck. Still in 1940, the church is repaired by architect Albert Crop (Meulebeke). In 1945, war damage is repaired, including the stained glass windows, and new bells are installed. In 1962-1963, under the influence of liturgical renewal, the interior of the St. Amandus Church is modernized at the initiative of pastor Albert Lernout according to the design of architect R. Lernout (Geluwe). Along with the addition of a small entrance portal on the north side, the interior is mainly thoroughly adapted by replacing the arches between the naves with a concrete structure on pillars, also accommodating a larger choir gallery and a raised high choir where the family tomb of the de Beer family disappears under a new floor. After the completion of the works, the church is reconsecrated on June 30, 1963. In the 1970s, restoration work is also done on the interior and exterior, including after storm damage in 1975. Between 1991-1996, in the context of the 100th anniversary of the church building, further restoration and beautification works are carried out. For instance, the pulpit is repositioned, the baptismal chapel is adjusted with a new stained glass window, and a new carillon is added. Description. Oriented hall church, freely situated in the northwestern corner of the Market, with a narrow passageway Kapellestraat - Kerkstraat on the west side and parking on both the north and south sides. A few small landscaped flower beds against the church. Ground plan: three-nave hall church with west façade tower, nave of seven bays with a three-part choir provided with a three-sided apse, with three-sided enclosures to the north and south, central with a five-sided enclosure. On the south side, a baptismal chapel and spacious sacristy, both on a rectangular ground plan. Material use typical of the neo-Gothic architectural style: red brick construction employing natural stone for, among other things, the plinth, sills, drip courses, and coping stones; white stone door frames and tracery; slate saddle and hipped roofs and an indented tower spire; painted wooden dormers with three- or four-pas motifs and wrought iron crowning; cross-shaped anchors. Older materials concealed from view by the late 19th-century construction phase. Exterior. West façade with the four-sided tower centrally in four tiers. Tudor arch-shaped main portal in white stone framing with stylized floral motifs, impost blocks, and archivolts on half columns. From the second to the fourth tier, a large pointed arch window with neo-Gothic tracery featuring three- and four-pas motifs, two narrower pointed arch niches with neo-Gothic tracery and coupled bell openings with a clock in the blunt pointed arch field. Needle spire crowned with a gilded globe, wrought iron cross, and weather vane. Flanking symmetrical gable ends with cut corner buttresses, Tudor arch-shaped side portals under similar white stone arches, above which large pointed arch windows with neo-Gothic tracery are located. The north and south side façades of the naves are rhythmically divided by cut buttresses and outlined by multi-layered overhanging brick frieze and profiled cornice; in each bay, a pointed arch window with tracery in profiled brick framing. Choir enclosures with similar layout due to cut buttresses and neo-Gothic pointed arch windows. On the north side, a more recent small entrance portal under a flat roof with small pointed arch windows. On the south side, additions in a similar neo-Gothic style. A small baptismal chapel under a right-angled saddle roof with a gable crowned with a white stone finial. A spacious sacristy under a parallel saddle roof with an entrance section under a flat roof with a crenellated edge; access under a shoulder arch-shaped threshold and divided overlight. Attached to a buttress between the baptismal chapel and sacristy, Calvary Hill with a holy grave in neo-Gothic style adjoining the church structure, with statues by sculptor Mathias Zens (Ghent). Spacious pointed arch facade niche under a gable with natural stone shoulder pieces, cover plates, and a crowning finial; lily anchors. Statues in painted earthenware and wooden cross, originally placed against a painted background depicting a view of Jerusalem, now painted white. Below it, a later added grave niche in natural stone containing a white-painted statue of Christ. Adjacent flower beds with low boxwood planting enclosed by more recent fencing. A commemorative stone embedded in the west façade bears the inscription "D.O.M./ IN HONOREM ST AMANDI AEDIFICATA CIRCA AN. 1100./ CUM RDI. DNO. JAC. MYS. PAROCHI READIFICATA AN. 1715/ AMPLIFICATUR AC PENITUS RESTAURATUR ANNIS 1893-1894./ PAROCHO REV. DNO AD. PERSYN./ FABRICAE PRAESIDI DNO ACH. VERMEULEN./ CONSULE DNO EMILIO GOETHALS./ ARCHITECTO DNO J. SOETE". Interior. Originally neo-Gothic interior strongly adapted by extensive renovation works in 1962-1963. Strong simplification through uniform white plastered interior finishing instead of polychrome painting; wainscoting in yellow-brown tiling. The middle and side naves, previously separated by pointed arch aisles, are now opened up by concrete construction on similar pillars. Vaulting through wooden barrel vault with ribs preserving the polychromy, similar to the vault above the choir, where the ribs run into natural stone pilasters with Corinthian capitals. Walls of the side naves and choir equipped with pointed arch windows; figurative stained glass windows in the baptismal chapel, main and side choirs. Natural stone tiled floors dating from the different construction phases. Wrought iron enclosure of the baptismal chapel installed by blacksmith Emiel Vierstraete (Meulebeke), signed and dated "E.V. 1895". In the construction phase of 1962-1963, the choir gallery is enlarged with a wooden enclosure. Furniture. Simple neo-Gothic church furniture, installed in the church between 1893-1896. Main altar with a theme of the Adoration of the Shepherds, Calvary, and Entombment, donated by Amelie and Rosalie Goethals, polychrome and gilded stone and wood, 1895 (dated), by Mathias Zens (Ghent). Side altar in the south nave dedicated to the patron saint St. Amandus, donated by the Vermeulen-Loncke family, polychrome and gilded stone and wood, 1896 (dated), by Mathias Zens (Ghent); reredos with scenes from the life of the saint. Side altar in the north nave dedicated to St. Dominic and Our Lady, donated by Camillus and Maria Demarez, polychrome and gilded stone and wood, 1895 (dated), by Mathias Zens (Ghent); reredos with scenes from the life of the saint. Service altar, natural stone, 20th century. Communion rail, oak, 1897, by Mathias Zens (Ghent); symbolic representation of the Holy Eucharist. Choir stalls, oak, 19th century. Confessionals, oak, 1895, by Mathias Zens (Ghent). Pulpit, oak, 1895, by Mathias Zens (Ghent); tub with biblical scenes among sculpted images of the four evangelists; soundboard with the symbol of the Holy Spirit. Baptismal font, marble and lid in copper, mid 19th century. Sculptures: including a bust of St. Hubertus, second half of the 17th century; procession statue of Our Lady with Child, possibly 17th century; St. Cornelius, 1895, by Block (Kortrijk); St. Anthony of Padua with Child, second half of the 19th century; St. Godelieve, second half of the 19th century; Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, second half of the 19th century; St. Joseph with Child; Sacred Heart, second half of the 19th century. Paintings, including a view of Meulebeke. Figurative stained glass windows in the high and side choirs, 1894-1895, by Samuel Coucke (Bruges), restored in 1952 by house Desander (Tielt), including the crucified Christ, Mary Assumed into Heaven, and saints. In the baptismal chapel, 1994-1996, design by Firmin Van Wambeke (Mariakerke) by Luc Mestdagh (Ghent) with the baptism of Christ in the Jordan. Stations of the Cross, 1850-1854, painted on canvas, by Philippe-Jacques De Witte-Lefebure (Moorslede); restored in 1927 by Corneel Sr. Leegenhoek (Bruges), in 1962-1963 by P. Indevuyst (Ghent) and in 1975-1978. Originally 17th-century organ by J. Medaert, replaced by a 19th-century organ of the Peteghem type (Ghent); new organ, 1900, by Pierre Schyven (Brussels), transformed and rebuilt in 1963 by Delmotte (Tournai), revised in 1985 by Andriessens (Menen). Carillon, Clock-O-Matic (Herent), 1996. Blazon with coat of arms of Meulebeke, partly gilded wood, 1783. Previously in the passage to the sacristy, now embedded in the south wall are grave stones of centenarian Joannes Cosman († 1749) and bailiff Franciscus Vermeulen († 1828), black marble. Under the floor of the high choir, the family tomb of the de Beer family. ARCHIVE R-O WEST FLANDERS - IMMOVABLE HERITAGE, Archive No. W/01261. CADASTRAL ARCHIVE WEST FLANDERS, 207: Mutation sketches, Meulebeke, Section 1, 1977/5. ROYAL INSTITUTE FOR ART HERITAGE, Photobank, recordings 1943, 1968. FLANDERS INSTITUTE FOR IMMOVABLE HERITAGE, Documentation center, Maps and charts K.C.M.L., no. 595. BAERT G., The Castle Ter Borcht and its inhabitants (13th C - 20th C), brochure on the occasion of the exhibition of the same name, Meulebeke, 1990, p. 28-29. BOUCKHUYT L., The Kapellekensbaan, an inventory of the Meulebeek field chapels, Meulebeke, 1994, p. 160. CAUWE R., The gravestone of Jan Cosman in Meulebeke, in Flemish Stem - Journal for Family History, vol. 14,

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