St. James' Church (Sint-Jacobs-Kapelle)

St. James' Church is the parish church of the village of Sint-Jacobs-Kapelle, located at Sint-Jacobusplein 5, in the municipality of Diksmuide, West Flanders.

The church is dedicated to James the Greater.

History[edit] [edit source]

The parish is said to have been founded in 1247 and was a split from that of Esen. The first mention was from 1282 or 1296 as Saint-Jackeme-Capielle. The pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela was widely practiced in those years. In 1420, the church was enlarged, integrating the 13th-century choir. In 1565-1566 the church bell was smashed by the iconoclasts. In 1594 it was recast with the inscription: Ic heete Jacob 1594. In the 50s of the 16th century, the church was looted by French army gangs, among others. At the beginning of the 18th century, narrow aisles were added.

After 15 October 1914, German shelling began. Especially on December 4, 1914, these led to the destruction of the church. In the meantime, the bell and the church treasures had been taken to safety.

Initially, they wanted to keep the church ruins as a war memorial. In the end, it was decided to rebuild the church. The church was completed in 1925 to a design by Camille Van Elslande.

Building[edit] [edit source]

It is a brick pseudo-basilica with narrow aisles, in which, in addition to the original Gothic whole, some elements from the Flemish Renaissance style were added. A roof turret serves as a tower.

The main altar and pulpit are simpler in nature than the original ones. The statues of saints date from around 1925 and were made of polychrome plaster.

The church is surrounded by a graveyard that still contains some original tombstones, including the 16th-century tombstone of a churchwarden.

Sources, notes and/or references

Immovable Heritage Inventory

Joris Broché