Sint-Willibrorduskerk

 
The church was built between 1892-1895 and replaces and older church that was demolished in 1885. This new brick building was constructed in a neo-Ghotic style. The interior was restored carefully in the 20th century and the church became a protected heritage site in 1966. The parsonage located behind the church is also protected heritage.
The building process of the current church is a story on its own. In 1843, after a significant population boom, the public felt that the old church was too small. The first plans that involved an extension were rejected. In 1877 the next set of plans comprising a completely new building turned out to be too expensive. Another set of plans created in 1881 were met with resistance. They included the demolition of the old church and the Commission for monuments and landscapes at that time was opposed to this.
However, in 1885 a permission for demolition was obtained. The construction of the new building started soon after that but was almost immediately shut down when cracks and tears in the walls started to appear. A year later this rudimentary construction was knocked down and the search for a new building site commenced. The planned location of the tower also shifted to the southeast corner of the building.
The parish prides itself on a couple of interesting decor elements: the sacrament tower, the altarpiece of the main altar, the restored Vereecken organ, the altarpiece of the week chapel and the pulpit. The neo-Ghotic painting by the brothers Buysse dates back to 1913. The stained glass was restored and the organ was also subjected to a number of restorations, one of those by Gabriel Loncke, to make it ready to play for services and concerts.

Wizpr.guide