Saint Martin's Church

The church of Everberg is originally a Romanesque church. The lower part of the tower bears witness to this. In the 16th century, a choir in late Gothic style with Brabantian buttresses and the northern transept with the O.L. Vrouwkapel were added. In the 17th century, the upper part of the tower was rebuilt. In 1714, a new sacristy was added. The Saint Hubertus Chapel or the southern transept was built in 1720 by the 2nd Prince de Rubempré. He was the ‘grand veneur’ or hereditary chief hunt master of Brabant, which explains the devotion to Saint Hubert, patron saint of hunters. The Opperjachtmeestersstraat in Vrebos recalls this function. In 1773, there were plans by J.B. De Ronde for the enlargement of the church, but it was never executed. The church was in a disastrous condition in the 19th century. Countess Louis de Merode, the sister-in-law of Count Amaury de Merode, made 71,000 BEF available in 1881 to facilitate the church restoration. By 1893, the new church was completed. The works were carried out under the direction of architect Hendrik Beyaert (the man of the 100 BEF note) and architect Paul Hankar. The title of Saint Martin's Church refers to the oldest churches in the region. The addition of St. Ludovicus was permitted by Cardinal Goossens in 1890 due to the financial contribution of the de Merode family in the church's construction and as a tribute to Count Louis de Merode. In the choir, we find the tombstone of the 1st Prince de Rubempré (+1707), knight of the Golden Fleece and chief hunt master of Brabant. There are also stained glass windows by J. Capronnier with the coats of arms of the Merode and Arenberg families. The reserved space for the Princes de Merode in the church of Everberg can be accessed directly from outside and provides a view of the main altar. We also find the chimney breast with the coat of arms of Merode. The Princes de Rubempré also had the right to the first holy water, which led to legal disputes. After Vatican II, the Saint Hubertus Chapel or the lion's den became the reserved space. Here we find the tombstone of the 2nd Prince de Rubempré (+ 1743), knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece and builder of this chapel. Notably, the motto ‘Hungary et pour cause Rubempré’ can be seen. Both the de Croy and Rubempré families claimed descent from the kings of Hungary, hence the motto. White and red are the colors of both the kings of Hungary and the de Croy and Rubempré families. Antoine de Rubempré married Jacqueline de Croy in the 15th century. Rubempré is a village and a lordship in Picardy in Northern France. Against the wall hang the mourning boards or obits of the Counts, later Princes de Merode, starting with Count Werner de Merode. At the back of the church, we find a memorial plaque that commemorates the financial contributions of the de Merode, Monaco, and Savoie-Aoste families in the construction of the church.

Also noteworthy is the reliquary of Saint Martin in the Saint Hubertus Chapel. The bust was donated in 1598 by Geraert Van Berum.
Bibliography:

F.MAES. Meerbeek and its past - Eigen Schoon and De Brabander, 1960.

H. VANNOPPEN. The history of Meerbeek, the barony between the Tomme and the Burcht. 1979, p. 47, p. 175-178.

H. VANNOPPEN. The farmstead of the Seven Sleepers in Meerbeek, the Wijnegemhof and The King of Spain in Schoonaarde -De Autotoerist, 1980, p. 424.

H. VANNOPPEN. A hundred buildings in Kortenberg. A walk through ten centuries of history. Boek en Vorm. Winksele, 1999, p. 142-143.

Gemeente Kortenberg