St. Catherine's Church

Planted on the east side of Zillebeke village and north of the Pastoriestraat. Surrounding graveyard, including British military cemetery to the north; to the west by a brick wall under donkey's back, and lime trees; hedge on the south side. Circumferential brick pavement. Neo-Gothic hall church with west tower designed by architect G. Lernould (Ypres) in 1923. Founded in 1102 as a single-nave chapel. During the 14th century it was converted into a Gothic church, burned down in 1578 by the Beggars; rebuilt in the first quarter of the 16th century. Tower restored to a design by architect G. Lernould (Ypres) in 1910. Completely destroyed during the First World War and roughly rebuilt to pre-war appearance, however, with the addition of one bay and a wooden vault. The plan reveals: a pre-positioned west tower, with a partly built-in stair turret at the south-west corner, a three-aisled nave of five bays, a choir and two side choirs of respectively one bay and a three-sided closure and a half bay and a flat closure, and a south sacristy. Yellow brick construction. Reused iron sandstone for substructure; south, west and north façade on a base of Atrecht sandstone. Bluestone tombstones in the north and south façade, including those of the Florisone de Siam family. Slate roofing. West tower of four sections under a tent roof, supported by perpendicular corner buttresses with casements and cut-outs. Tudor arched west portal in a profiled natural stone frame; Pointed arched three-light in profiled frame above. Pointed arched casements with inscribed trilobate on continuous descent, at the level of the second section. Pointed arched reverb holes. bays of nave and high altar marked by buttresses with carvings and profiled lancet windows (two-light) on continuous chamfer; delineating tooth railing. Side aisles and choirs ending in gables with canopies, shoulder pieces and wall braiding; The latter is ajoured by means of three-lights. Interior: hall church rhythmed by pointed arches on brick columns with round bluestone base with simple brick capital. Wooden pointed barrel vault with ditto drawbeams. Flat wooden tower ceiling. Mobile: Against the west façade of the north aisle: baptismal font from the first half of the 12th century in Tournai stone. Commemorative plaques, in walls of side aisles, all but one of the de Vinck family, see village introduction. Furthermore, neo-Gothic mobile.

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