St Trudokerk Meerhout

The church in the Centre has as patron saint Saint Trudo.
On the church is a beautiful baroque tower that was built after a large village fire in 1679. The Romanesque substructure dates from around 1100 and still has the original 1.5 meter thick walls in iron sandstone. Above the entrance door shows the coat of arms of the Abbey of Maagdendaal, 2 dolphins, a hexagonal star and a Latin proverb. The shield is located above the entrance door and bears the year 1776. The spell in Domino confido means trusting in God.

At the foot of the church tower, 200 Brigands, who died during the Boer War, found a resting place in a mass grave. In the church, the former baptismal font served as a drinking bowl for the French army horses that were tied to the communion bench. In 1898, village blacksmith Jan Cuypers forged the cross that is located in the corner of the cemetery. It commemorates the centenary of the Boerenkrijg.

In 1940, during the retreat of the Belgian army, the church was once again completely burned down. It was rebuilt with war damage paid for by Germany in the period 1948-1967, including by architect L. De Graef (1948-1951). The interior was designed in the late 1960s by the Halse artist Camiel Colruyt (1908-1973). He had progressive ideas. Witness to this is a giant statue of the crucified Christ, smiling above all pain. Germany paid for the marble, copper and oak as compensation for the war damage. However, it was the Belgian army that had used straw and matches on 11 May 1940 to disable this lookout.

In 1976, the church and cemetery wall were protected as a monument and landscape.

Leonard van Bakel