Saint Martin

Planted to the east of the Village Square. Presumably founded in the Carolingian period as the property of St Bavo's Abbey in Ghent. Nowadays a sandstone late Gothic hall church of the developed type, grown from a simple hall church, of which the west tower and central nave from the end of the 14th century have been preserved. One of the most famous places of pilgrimage in Flanders since the 15th century, on the occasion of the miraculous sculpture "The Need of God"; This led, among other things, to the construction of the imposing west tower (1569). Restoration of the tower in 1598, of the church in 1606 after destruction by the Beggars; Pilgrimage banners from that time show a high central nave and lower side chapels. Stone vault in 1632; enlargement of the choir under a new star vault in 1652 by Thobias Oosterlinck, whereby the old choir was incorporated into the central nave; The choir windows were broken down to the ground, so that the dividing walls still function as pillars. Reconstruction of the St. Anne's Choir in 1660 and vaulting of the side chapels in 1668. Enlargement of the church in 1779 to a design by Jan Baptist Simoens (Ghent); new sacristies and aisles. New façade with three new portals in 1872, designed by architect Edmond Serrure (Sint-Niklaas); The tower was raised slightly higher and crowned with a balustrade and spire in 1896. Transfer of the cemetery to Overimpe in 1877. Decapitation of vaults, pillars and capitals in 1930, designed by architect Valentin Vaerwijck. Sandstone building (mainly Ledesteen; white natural stone for the façade) with brick sacristy under slate roofing. The floor plan describes: west tower with north stair tower, three-aisled nave of five bays, high choir of two straight bays with five-sided apse, two side choirs of one bay with three-sided closure, versatile sacristy around the apse. Four-tiered west tower, supported by superimposed, quadruple carved buttresses; neo-Gothic portal under gable roof; large lancet window with drip moulding and sandstone tracery; small pointed arch window above and dated 1598 by means of wall anchors; two pointed arched reverberation holes under circumferential drip moulding in each side; clear elevation and crowning by means of a neo-Gothic balustrade with, among other things, postaments and gargoyles, and a steep spire. Semi-built-in round north stair tower. Neo-Gothic west façades of side aisles with similar portal, narrower pointed arch window under oculus with quatrefoil; gables finished by means of heights and finial. Beeches under separate gable roofs; bays marked by double-carved buttresses; cordon at the level of leakage thresholds and connected drip strips; Pressed pointed arch windows with iron armour. Choir under pointed roof; similar corner buttresses; Round-arched windows with iron rod division. Brick sacristy of one storey under pent roofs; sandstone plinth, cornerstones and rectangular window frames, two-storey extension to the east under snuffed gable roof; rectangular wall openings. Interior: pointed arched arcades on sandstone piers, corbels and columns with octagonal base and cover; capitals with leaf motifs. Covered by cross rib vaults for the middle, north aisle and choir, star vaults for the south aisle, side choirs and apse. Brick vaults with ribs of Ledesteen (except for the choir). Mobile: Votive paintings (16th to 18th century); Jesuit saints, by Brother Quartier S.J. (second half of the 19th century, donated by the Saint Joseph College of Aalst). Wooden statue "The Sweet Distress of God" (first quarter of the 15th century) (replaced by a newer statue?); Statue of Our Lady (white stone); statues of Saint Martin, Our Lady Immaculate Conception, Saint Barbara (17th century). Altar of Our Lady (tomb of Mathias Zens from the second half of the 19th century) (1651), and high altar (1657) by Jaak Cocx; Saint Anne's altar (wood) with carvings by Albertus de Bachus (1727), tabernacle (late 18th century), marble table by Mathias Zens (second half of the 19th century); choir stalls by Jan Desy (1665, according to some, however, from the workshop of Artus Quellin); wainscoting of choir by Jan van Gelder (1758), of the naves by Andries de Lanoy and J.B. De Coene (1782): communion rail by H. Put (1774); pulpit of Simon de Gemine (1732); confessionals (mid-18th century): two by J. Van Gelder, four by Sr. Ignatius van Lemmeren and Rombout Dufour with sculpture by Hendrik Reroux; organ case and rood screen by Jan Soetens (1643); organ by Nikolaas Royen (1673) and sculpture by Hendrik Reroux (1780); spirit master's benches by Jan de Kock (1673).

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