Our Lady Assumption Church

Oriented church in the middle of the cemetery with palm and yew trees; descending thorn hedge and trees; cast-iron gate to the east. Calvary against the southern transept facade. From 1144 until the French Revolution, altar under the patronage of the Veurne Saint Nicholas Abbey. Gothic hall church with a heavy west tower following the typical church layout of the coastal region, from the 15th to 16th century and 1625; date 1552 of red brick heads in the casement of the southern tower wall; date 1560 on the left pier of the entrance door to the nave, inside the west tower; date 1625 on the beam above the western arch of the southern transept arm. Remnants of Romanesque construction: iron sandstone sections of the base, transept facades, north facade of the northern side choir; central wall sections of limestone at the transept facades. Restoration works in 1949-1950 designed by architect L. Viérin (Bruges) from 1940 concerning windows of the west facade (renewed), tracery of tower casements, and construction of sacristy in regional Neo-Flemish Renaissance style. Restoration and renewal of fire windows in 1968 designed by architect L. Viérin and M. Martens (Bruges). Tower restoration in 1969-1970 under the direction of architect B. Hendryckx (De Panne). The floor plan reveals: a square west tower, a three-nave ship of four bays, a transept with arms of one bay, a choir and two side choirs of three straight bays with three-sided and two straight bays with two-sided closure, an eastern sacristy (1949-1950). Brick construction except for the mentioned natural stone wall sections. Curved gable roofs (slate) with hanging gutters. West tower with three sections marked by cornices; stacked corner buttresses with cuts. Typical representative of the regional brick Gothic, see architectural decorations. Buttresses: casement with round arch and tracery on the second and third section, with simple Tudor arch on the fourth section. Illegible facade stone of the buttress north of the portal. Five-sided towerlet with the same decorations and brick pinnacle crowning, against the southern tower wall. For each tower section, pointed-arched casements with tracery. West tower wall: Tudor arch door with profiled frame and natural stone drip edge; recessed pointed-arched four-light with fish bladder motif, drip edge, and impost, on the second section. Parapet with round-arched wall openings and corner pinnacles. Later crowning with seduced slate spire and bell openings. Two western gable ends with eaves and wall interlacings: pointed-arch four-light with drip edge and impost to the north, pointed-arch casement and corner buttress culminating in a pinnacle to the south. North, south, and east facades: buttresses with cuts; surrounding cornice; cornice. Illumination by means of pointed-arch two- (choir), three- (nave, northern transept) and four-lights (southern transept) with impost; drip edge with extended ends at choir windows. South facade: closed pointed arch door with profiled walk, in first left bay, round arch door recessed in extended round arch framing with round arch niche housing the statue of Our Lady, in the fourth bay. North facade: closed Tudor arch door with drip edge, in first bay. Slightly protruding transept gable ends. Southern transept facade: lowered eaves see wall interlacings and right shoulder; iron sandstone wall section with closed round arch door referring to Romanesque construction; closed right basket arch door. Presumably shortened transept arm, see the remainder of pointed-arched casement in the western side section. Tower interior: portal with brick ribbed vault and same architectural decorations as the outer wall. Hall church rhythmically organized by means of pointed arch ribbed vaults on brick columns with octagonal base and capital; wooden pointed-arched vaults. Traces of closed round-arched wall openings (?) in transept closures. Furnishings: southern side altar: "Saint Sebastian in a Landscape" (canvas), 16th century. Northern side altar: "Good Samaritan" (canvas), 17th century. Northern side aisle: "Adoration of the Kings" (canvas), 17th century, donated by Ernestus de Werdrin according to inscription; "Holy Trinity" (canvas), 17th century. Southern side aisle: Deposition from the Cross with donor and patron saint (canvas), from 1669 attributed to V. Bouquet. Northern side aisle: Calvary with Mary Magdalene (wood), 18th century. Last bay of the nave: Saint Peter (stone), 18th century; Saint Paul (stone), 18th century. Dossal (wood), second half of the 18th century. Organ case, first half of the 18th century.

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