Saint Peter's and Saint Berland Church

The church of Meerbeke is so large because it was for centuries the center of an important and extensive medieval domain and of a strong local veneration of saints (St. Berlindis).

The current size of the village therefore masks the former significance of Meerbeke as a religious and administrative focal point in the region.

A significant tradition of pilgrimage and veneration grew around St. Berlindis from the 12th century; to accommodate her cult and a chapter of four canons, a larger chapter church was built next to the old St. Peter's Church. In the Middle Ages, at least nine clergymen and two sextons were associated with this Berlendis chapter church, with daily choral prayers and high mass, which required a large and representative church space.

The choir dates from around 1250, the transept from 1642-1643; in 1750 a large baroque lower church with a monumental facade was built, which makes the whole today appear as a large three-nave cross church in relation to the village. The addition of the octagonal bell tower in 1806-1807 and later embellishments confirm the church's status as a notable regional landmark, rather than merely a modest village church.

Dromos