Church of Saint Leonard

This colossal gothic construction was built mainly between the 13th and 16th centuries. The numerous works of art in Saint Leonard’s church makes it world renowned. By chance, the Iconoclast Revolt of 1566 and the French Revolution passed by almost unnoticed. Thanks to that this prestigious cultural heritage was preserved: altar pieces, paintings, statues, copper and silver works, devotional ornaments…
One of the church’s jewels is the recently restored Saint Sacrament tower. This tabernacle in white stone from Avesnes was made in the workshop of Cornelis Floris de Vriendt in Antwerp and erected in Zoutleeuw in 1552.The tower is 18 metres high with 9 floors holding 200 statuettes, depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments.
Another work of art is the copper Easter candle holder which is 5.68 metres high and weighs 950 kilos. It was moulded by Renier van Thienen. It is Europe’s second largest Easter candlestick.
The side chapels were added in the 16th century on the request of the guilds. They contain numerous altar pieces of unequalled splendour: the retable of Saint Anne (16th century), of Saint Roch (15th and 16th century),of Notre-Dame (16th century and of Saint Leonard (15th century).

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