Saint Eutropius

* Heuleplaats z.nr. Parish Church of St. Eutropius. Tower protected as a monument by M.B. of 19.04.1937. Orientated place of worship located northeast of the square. Until 1955 it was surrounded by a cemetery and until 1961 it was closed off by several houses on the west side of the square. Today, the church is surrounded by parking. Circumferential brick drip path. The oldest mention dates back to 1143, when Desiderius, brother of Viscount Roger of Kortrijk, donated patronage to the Saint Peter's Chapter of Lille. The patron saint at that time was probably Saint Amandus. After the foundation of the chapel of St. Eutropius by William of Grysperre (1295), it gradually replaced Amandus as patron saint. The first church was probably a Romanesque, three-aisled, basilical place of worship with a square central tower and three naves. This church underwent many changes over time. 15th century: extension of the church with Our Lady's Chapel, the burial chapel of the Lords of Heule. Early 16th century: demolition of the dilapidated central tower between the choir and the north transept arm. The tower will be replaced by a wooden structure for the time being. 1545-1546: completion of the current late Gothic west tower, against which the partially preserved Calvary is later erected. Ca. 1585: during the attacks of the Beggars, numerous damages were done to the burial chapel and the chancel, which were not repaired until the 17th century. 1782: extension of the church. First, demolition of the Romanesque and partly Gothic north and south aisles and the transept arms. Only the tower and the burial chapel of the Lords of Heule have been preserved. Construction of a three-aisled hall church. The interior is decorated with classicist stucco. World War II: During Allied air raids on Kortrijk on 10 May 1944 and on 21 July 1944, the three naves were largely destroyed, the tower remained intact. In 1955, the entire eastern half of the church was demolished and replaced by an almost entirely new and wider lower church, with the old burial chapel disappearing completely. On the occasion of the restoration of the church, excavations were carried out by J. Vièrin, during which traces of the Romanesque church were found. 1953-1956: The church is rebuilt in neo-classical style. 1965-1967: restoration of the tower by Firma Vandekerckhove. 1982: The statues of the Calvary are placed inside the church, instead of outside. 1993-1995: second restoration of the tower also by the aforementioned company. Three-aisled basilical church with nave of six bays, choir of two straight bays and a three-sided closing, flat side choirs. Pre-placed west tower built of Balegem sandstone, nave, side aisles and choir with sacristy built of brick. * Gothic west tower of four sections under a six-sided spire, built between 1514 and 1546. Vertical rhythm by means of water strips. Corners marked by superimposed, rejuvenating buttresses marked by pointed arch niches and surmounted by slate pointed roof. Basket-arched porch under drip moulding with crockets and finial, above which is a profiled pointed arch window with Gothic tracery and chamfer. The third section is marked by a blind pointed arch window above which, in the fourth section, linked reverberation holes. The west side of the tower is marked by a three-sided brick stair turret on a plinth of grès d'Arras and under a flat roof. The ground floor is accentuated by corner bands. Light slots and niches with blind tracery. Side walls marked by arched windows in checkered frame of white natural stone. Flanking gables with braiding and blind pointed arch windows with Gothic tracery, above which light slits. Corner tires. Interior. Flat vaulted portal with memorial stone from 1872, which originally stood in the church. Plastered and painted neoclassical interior, rhythmed by round arches on round columns on an eight-sided base and with a cover. Renewed marble floor. Vaulting by girdle arches. DIVISION ROHM WEST-FLANDERS, Cell Monuments and Sites, archive no. W/00418.DEBAERE J., Heule: Sint-Eutropiuskerk, Heule, 1993.DESPRIET P., De Zuidwestvlaamse parochiekerken. A thousand-year history, Kortrijk, 1982-1984, part 1, p. 145-193.MEIER-ROOSE B., VERSCHRAEGEN H., Fotorepertorium van het meubel van de Belgische bebedhuizen, Provincie West-Vlaanderen, Kanton Kortrijk I, Brussels, 1981, p. 17-19.ROELSTRAETE J., Heule, een overzicht van zijn geschiedenis (continued 1), in Heulespiegel, no. 11, 1990, p. 20-39.

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