St. Lawrence's Church

Heterogeneous church building with imposing tower, built on a slight elevation in the small village centre. The cemetery was replaced in 1959 by small gardens containing a war memorial and the monument in honour of Philip Verheyen. There is no trace of the church from 1147 either in the elevation of the current building or in the ground. In the first quarter of the 15th century, in the economic prosperity of the 15th century, a grand church was built, of which only the tower and choir were built. After the work stopped, probably as a result of flooding, the aisles were added around the middle of the 16th century. These were only carried out over a length of two bays and were provisionally connected to the choir by two walls on the site of the current arches. Three segmental arched windows were added to this. In the 17th century, the building grew into a full-fledged cruciform church: from 1652 to 1654, the aisles were extended to four bays; In 1672 he erected the north transept arm and in 1688 the south arm with sacristy. Meanwhile (1681) the tower was finished square at the top instead of the planned back, and capped by a "cauldron roof" with constricted pear spire. Around 1725 the interior was provided with a flat ceiling, which was replaced by the current cross rib vaults around 1765. In 1783, the choir was raised and the vault renewed. In 1804, Napoleon replaced the ornate spire with a semaphore, which was demolished in 1815. From 1839 to 1857, polemics were held in connection with the restoration of the tower under the direction of architect Jan De Somme-Servais (Sint-Niklaas), which was then only partially restored. The considerable war damage sustained in 1944 was repaired under the direction of architect Fernand Weyers (Sint-Niklaas). As a result of serious neglect, the church is now (since August 1978) being extensively restored under the direction of architect Fernand Weyers. The floor plan reveals a three-aisled cruciform church with a polygonal choir and built-in west tower, a small sacristy to the south of the choir. Pseudo-basilical church of squared sandstone and brick, varying in size according to the period of construction. Heavy square west tower of four sections, capped by a blunt, eight-sided needle spire; upwards rejuvenating double corner buttresses, decorated with saving fields in front; Ornament with cabbage leaves and finial at the level of the sill of the reverb holes. Basket-arched portal with richly profiled prongs and Gothic base; spacious pointed arched rood screen window; closed pointed arch arcade and planned brick roof slope on the east wall; original reverberation holes almost completely bricked up (1655 and 1684). Lower church of four bays of brick with sandstone layers; bays separated from each other by buttresses with a cut; spacious segmental arched windows. North aisle with basket-arched mortuary door in the second bay; Traces of a vanished analogue door in the south aisle are present. Rectangular transept arms of one bay built against the first choir bay; north arm of chamfered sandstone, south arm of brick; Main façades with segmental arched windows. Choir of sandstone; four straight bays and three-sided closure; marking buttresses; segmental arch windows in the last two straight sections, closed pointed arch windows in the apse. Bricked-up basket-arched door in the north wall. Interior: tower base with flat ceiling in plaster; rood screen space with the start of a star vault that has never been executed. Lower church with pointed arches, resting on columns with octagonal base; The base of the tower and the first bay have cabbage leaf capitals, the other columns a classicist moulded capital. Space spanned by brick cross rib vaults with belt arches, with seed beads at the bottom. Above the choir is a basket-arched barrel vault in plaster, resting on a ornate entablature. Mobile: Painting: "Adoration of the Magi" (high altar, Gerard Wery, 1645). Sculptures: wooden calvary (Pieter Caulier, 1660); Saint Roch and Saint Lawrence (high altar, Guilliam Talboom, 1672). Furniture: altars and communion rail (Cornelis, Philips and Guilliam Talboom, circa 1670); confessionals (Frans de Wree, 1658); pulpit (Philips Talboom, 1664); choir stalls from the former Wilhelmite monastery in Beveren; rood screen (Jan de Borger, 1725); Three credence tables (Rococo, 1771). DEMEY A.-JOOS B., Inventory of the art patrimony of East Flanders, Ghent, in preparation.

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