Saint-Denis Church

The current church is located on the old church site of this centuries-old village and is bordered on one side by the cemetery. Already in the 12th century, there was said to be a place of worship. Serskamp, along with 20 other villages in the Land of Aalst, was ‘one of the Count's proper villages’. This meant that the village was directly under the authority of the Count of Flanders and he had special rights there, for example, to administer justice. In 1848, the municipal council decided to replace the dilapidated and too small church. However, it wasn't until 1855 when priest-architect Jan-August Clarysse, then the assistant pastor of Wingene, came up with suitable building plans. A three-aisled neo-Gothic church was built, dedicated to Saint Dionysius. The bluestone memorial stone to the right of the portal refers to the laying of the foundation stone in 1856. The church is built with red bricks from the nearby ‘stone village’ Rupelmonde. The tower has five levels of varying heights and is topped with a strongly angled octagonal slate spire. On the outside, against the choir, stands a covered Calvary with several grave slabs in memory of some prominent families. Two restored late 18th-century gravestones of clergymen were placed against the façade of the church in 2001. The church was conceived as a total work of art and was furnished in neo-Gothic style. Unfortunately, the colorful neo-Gothic wall paintings were painted over in the 1970s. Only a few murals were spared in the choir.

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