Saint Peter's church

The Saint Peter’s church is one of the highlights of the Brabant Gothic movement. It is also the oldest church in Leuven that was originally founded as a Romanesque church in 986 but burned to cinders in 1176. The current Gothic building dates back to 1425.
 
The church was heavily damaged during bombing in 1944 and needed thorough restoration.  The western facade had three high towers in the sixteenth century but due to the sandy and constantly shifting subsoil they kept on collapsing. In the end, the towers remain unfinished. The tower of the belfry on the roof of the nave is a UNESCO world heritage site.
 
On the exterior of the church the choir with seven apses stands out. Between two of the apses an additional chapel was built in honour of the popular saint of the people Fiere Margriet (Proud Margaret).
 
On the inside one can admire a beautiful rib vaulted ceiling. The interior is dominated by a monumental statue of Christ on the Cross (15th century) standing above a refined late Gothic rood screen. An old Romanesque crypt can be found underneath the choir.

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