St. Bavo

The St. Bavo Church of Boechout.
The first record found dates back to 974, in which Emperor Otto II (Germany) donates the St. Bavo Church of Boechout back to the St. Bavo Abbey of Ghent, after the monks lost it while fleeing from the Normans, around the middle of the 9th century.

In the 16th century, the church was severely damaged three times. In 1897, the church was demolished, retaining some parts, and rebuilt larger according to plans by Eugène Gife, provincial architect in Antwerp. The choir in white stone is said to date from 1502; the transept, made of brick with white stone accents, dates from 1639. Of the old furnishings, only the pulpit with wrought iron railings, the four confessionals, the baptismal font, and the small St. Bavo statue on the center pillar of the main door remain.

Including the cross, the tower is 50.5 meters high. Since 1985, a new memorial monument designed by Vic Gentils stands on the south side, in lasting memory of a great Boechout citizen, Jan Frans Willems.

The choir of the church, with the "van Colen" tomb monument, was classified in 1936. The transept and cemetery were protected in 1976. The entire building was protected as a monument for its historical value in 1996.

Nave and tower rebuilt in 1897-98. - Provincial architect: Lodewijk Gife.
Over the centuries, the church has burned down three times and has been plundered multiple times, demolished, rebuilt, renewed, and enlarged.
- Only the choir, in white stone, is a remnant of the old church (early 16th century). Protected in 1936.
- The transept, made of brick with white stone accents, dates from 1639. The transept and cemetery were protected in 1976.
- The entire building was protected as a monument for its historical value in 1996.

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