Church of Our Lady Deinze

There may have been a place of worship on the site of the current Deinse church very early on .

The oldest visible traces of this can be found in the transept in the current church. They are remains of a Romanesque church from 1150 . This was replaced by a church building in Scheldt Gothic , built between the 13th and 15th centuries in the commonly used Tournai limestone . This version had a hard time, including from the people of Ghent who were afraid of the economic and political competition from Deinze. The house of worship also had a hard time due to religious issues.

Each time a new building arose from the church ruins. The church acquired its current appearance during the restoration by architect Van Assche at the end of the 19th century. Shortly afterwards, in October 1918, artillery fire damaged the church tower.

In 1988, a major ore carillon was installed with 37 bells , which were cast at the Eijsbouts Bell Foundry. In 1994 , another 11 Eijsbouts bells were added to this carillon. It is the first major ore carillon ever installed in the world. The tower also has four separate bells that have nothing to do with the carillon, including 1 historic bell from 1652,

The church has been a protected monument since 1936.

Eye-catchers in the interior include a Van Peteghem organ from 1740-1742. In the left aisle hangs the painting “The Adoration of the Magi” from the 17th century. A shrine is kept there with a relic of Saint Poppo , abbot of the abbey of Stavelot of Deinze.

Willem Vandenameele