St. John the Baptist Church - Afsnee

On the banks of the Leie, near the Afsnee ferry , stands the 10th-century St. John the Baptist Church, a simple Romanesque church of origin. John the Baptist is locally called ''John Baptist'', hence the name Sint-Jan Baptistkerk.

The building was already mentioned in 939 but is probably even older. Afsnee is already mentioned around 850 among the goods of St. Peter's Abbey during the time of King Lothair. The church has undergone a number of renovations. It has a Romanesque core from the late 12th century, in the shape of a Latin cross with crossing tower. It was conceived as a three-aisled church (foundations were present) but it is suspected that only the central nave was built.

The eye-catchers inside include a baptismal font from 1601 with a 19th-century copper lid, a wooden statue of Christ from around 1700 in the choir, the Calvary triptych and the restored Lovaer organ. The main altar dates from the 3rd quarter of the 18th century,

In 2012, a stained glass window was installed in the right transept by studio Mestdagh from Ghent, designed by Ingrid Meyvaert. It depicts the baptism of Christ by Saint John the Baptist .

In the cemetery around the church there are gravestones from the 18th century and more recent graves of famous names such as Count De Hemptinne and the painter Karel De Bondt.

Willem Vandenameele