Slot Monastery Unshod Carmelites Moerzeke

Located at the back, the convent of barefoot Carmelites was built between 1974 and 1976 for sisters initially from the convent of barefoot Carmelites on Franz Courtensstraat in Dendermonde, whose convent buildings were largely demolished after expropriation.

Isolated from other constructions, the convent is situated in a rural environment near the castle park of the former castle of Moerzeke and the Pius X domain with the tomb chapel of Priest Poppe.

Modern convent architecture designed by architect Luc Van den Broeck (Aalst) and engineer-architect Octaaf van Severen. Brick construction with concrete composed of varying and shifting volumes of different heights, generally exhibiting a horizontalizing character. The shed roofs and semi-gable ends contribute to the dynamic and original architectural character of the complex, fitting within its rural surroundings. The layout does not follow the traditional convent concept with a closed inner garden: it includes a long main wing with angular sections, among which the projecting convent church is located between the paved front square and the hedged front garden. The convent domain is further enclosed by a garden wall.

A slender openwork concrete campanile with a sloping cover behind the convent church dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, following the former convent in Dendermonde. The convent church has an L-shaped floor plan with a low public area, a choir under a sloping high ceiling with ample skylight to the northeast, and is laterally separated from the sisters' choir by a wall with grating. Six stained glass windows with themes depicting invocations from the Litany of Mary, bearing the names of the donors and dated 1979, 1980, or 1981 and signed by Jo (one of them with Jo Streux). Reportedly, the stained glass windows were recovered at the end of the 20th century from a defunct chapel in Antwerp.

Stichting Open Kerken