Castle of Nazareth

Old glorious castle formerly called "Het Wielken" (see land book of 1777, "het casteel mette wallen, nederhof en bogaert genaemt het wielken"), according to De Potter and Broeckaert the small castle had turrets and was rebuilt in 1666. Enlarged and renewed in 1771-1772 by L. E. van Rockolfing, last lord of Nazareth and his wife F. de Ghellinck after a design by J.B. Simoens. Since 1860 it has been owned by the Kervyn de Volkaersbeke family. Preserved 18th-century layout with large square walled site with access to the north and centrally located castle with symmetrically planted service buildings and coach houses in front. Several straight and radially planted avenues on the north side connect the domain with the surrounding village streets and the former site with moat of the church in the northwest. Imposing entrance with central iron gate between square plastered pilasters with cover plate and bluestone vase crowning with torch flanked by two narrow gates and lower pillars. In front of it bluestone pavement posts with chains. Current Louis XVI castle designed by the Ghent architect J.B. Simoens; Rectangular floor plan with projecting central risalite in the front and rear façade, two storeys and nine bays under hipped roof (slates at the front, tiles at the back, ridge parallel to the street), on the front façade pediment dated 1771. Similar front and rear façade with plastered and painted frame façade delineated by checkered corner pilasters and simple entablature. Middle risalite surmounted by a triangular pediment on Louis XVI consolations, in the front façade with coats of arms of the van Rockolfing-de Ghellinck family and the years 17-71, in the rear façade with oculus between garlands. Slightly arched, flat-framed windows with persiennes. Central round-arched door with bluestone landing staircase (8 steps) in profiled bluestone frame on studs with keystone and garland, fanlight with wrought iron fan. Crowning iron balcony in front of the door window of the upper floor in the front façade. Side walls with one central window bay and blind windows in the side bays. Interior. Wainscoting and panel doors in Louis XVI style. On either side in the courtyard of the castle, similar service buildings, coach house to the west and dwelling to the east, presumably from the same period of construction as the castle. Buildings of four bays and one and a half storeys on a rectangular plan under hipped roof (tiles). Plastered and beige painted façade with slightly projecting central risalite of two bays under triangular pediment with garland-framed oculus. Respectively rectangular windows and doors and half-storey oculi set in round-arched arcade and rectangular saving fields. Lime trees planted in front of the façades. Coach house with blind, painted rear façade. Both buildings are flanked by iron gates on brick pillars. To the east, behind the staff residence, stables with painted façade of seven bays under gable roof (tiled).

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