The St. Martinus and St. Ludovicus Church

The church of Everberg is originally a Romanesque church. The lower part of the tower is a reminder of this. In the 16th century, a choir was added in late Gothic style with Brabantine buttresses and the northern transept with the O.L. Virgin chapel. In the 17th century, the upper part of the tower was rebuilt. In 1714, a new sacristy was added. The Saint Hubertus chapel or the southern transept was built in 1720 by the 2nd Prince de Rubempré. He was the ‘grand veneur’ or hereditary chief huntsman of Brabant, hence the devotion to Saint Hubertus, patron of hunters. The Opperjachtmeestersstraat in Vrebos remembers this function. In 1773, there were plans by J.B. De Ronde for the expansion of the church, but there was no execution. The church was in a disastrous state in the 19th century. Countess Louis de Merode, the sister-in-law of Count Amaury de Merode, made 71,000 BEF available in 1881 to enable the church restoration. In 1893, the new church was completed. The works were carried out under the direction of architect Hendrik Beyaert (the man of the 100 BEF note) and architect Paul Hankar. The title of Saint Martin’s Church refers to the oldest churches in the region. The addition of St.-Ludovicus was permitted by Cardinal Goossens in 1890 due to the financial contribution of the de Merode family to the construction of the church and as a remembrance of Count Louis de Merode. In the choir, we find the gravestone of the 1st Prince de Rubempré (+1707), knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece and chief huntsman of Brabant. We also find stained glass windows by J. Capronnier with the coats of arms of the Merode and Arenberg families. The reserved place for the Princes de Merode in the church of Everberg can be reached directly from outside and overlooks the high altar. We also find the mantelpiece with the coat of arms of the Merode. The Princes de Rubempré also had the right to the first holy water, which led to legal disputes. After Vatican II, the Saint Hubertus chapel or the lion's den became the reserved place. Here we find the gravestone of the 2nd Prince de Rubempré (+1743), knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece and builder of this chapel. Notably, the motto ‘Hungary and for good reason Rubempré’. Both the families de Croy and Rubempré claimed descent from the kings of Hungary, hence the motto. White and red are the colors of the kings of Hungary, as well as of the families de Croy and Rubempré. Antoine de Rubempré married Jacqueline de Croy in the 15th century. Rubempré is a village and a lordship in Picardy in northern France. Against the wall hang the mourning plaques or obiits of the Counts, later Princes de Merode, starting with Count Werner de Merode. At the back of the church, we find a memorial plate that commemorates the financial contribution of the families de Merode, Monaco, and Savoie-Aoste to the construction of the church.

Also remarkable is the reliquary of Saint Martin in the Saint Hubertus chapel. The bust was donated in 1598 by Geraert Van Berum.
Bibliography:

F.MAES. Meerbeek and its past - Eigen Schoon and De Brabander, 1960.

H. VANNOPPEN. The history of Meerbeek, the barony between the Tomme and the Castle. 1979, p. 47, p. 175-178.

H. VANNOPPEN. The farm of the Seven Sleepers in Meerbeek, the Wijnegemhof and The King of Spain in Schoonaarde -The Autotoerist, 1980, p. 424.

H. VANNOPPEN. A hundred Kortenberg buildings. A walk through ten centuries of history. Book and Form. Winksele, 1999, p. 142-143.

Gemeente Kortenberg