Saint Bartholomew's Church

The Sint-Bartholomeuskerk is the parish church of the West Flemish town of Kortemark, located at Markt 22.

The archives of the Sint-Salvator Abbey in Ename testify to a place of worship in Kortemark that was already present before 1085. This abbey received the provostship over this church in 1085, which was destroyed during the Iconoclasm in 1566. By 1571, the church was operational again and five altars were consecrated. Around 1580, the church was destroyed again, this time by the Geuzen. Around 1610, rebuilding began using yellow bricks. The possibly 15th-century transept tower was preserved. In 1642, two altars were consecrated, one to Saint Bartholomew and the other to Our Lady. The third choir would not yet have been rebuilt, but by around 1650, the church was fully restored. During the French occupation at the end of the 18th century, the church fell into disrepair, and from 1848-1849, a new church was built slightly to the west, designed by Pierre Buyck. The old transept tower was reused, but now as the west tower. In 1917, the church tower was blown up, which also seriously damaged the church. By the end of World War I, the church was almost completely destroyed.

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