St. Michael's Church of Sint-Lievens-Houtem

The Sint-Michaëlskerk in Sint-Lievens-Houtem was a large Romanesque church. Of the original large Romanesque church remains a small Romanesque side tower and a rare 'bone chapel', with two chapel rooms located one above the other, beautifully restored in 2002. Jacob van Brucele, abbot of Ghent's Saint Bavo's Abbey, rests in a place of honour in the church in a mausoleum dating from around 1465.
Every year and en masse, the people of Ghent, departing from the St. Bavo's Abbey, went with the relics of their city patron, St. Livinus, to his grave in Sint-Lievens-Houtem. A weird history! This noisy pilgrimage often got completely out of hand, so that in 1540, during the severe punishment of his hometown, Emperor Charles put an end to it!
In the Keizer Karel jaar 2000, Sint-Lievens-Houtem and Ghent were again given the symbolic permission to strengthen their historical ties.

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