St. Gerolf's Church - Drongen

This neo-Baroque church was designed by the Ghent architect F. Cardon.

The church is located on the site of the disappeared abbey church of the Old Abbey of Drongen of the Premonstratensians from 1559, of which only the tower has been preserved . It was a two-aisled church of five bays

This 49 m high tower rests on a square base, on which six octagonal floors follow, crowned with a peppercorn-shaped cladding. The tower owes its nickname the pepper mill to this. The tower took its current shape between 1732 and 1734, after its predecessor was lost by lightning in 1727. The tower is separate in construction and style from the current church .

The accompanying church building dates from 1859 and was used by the Premonstratensians and functioned as a parish church. The church is dedicated to Our Lady and to the patron saints of Drongen: the martyr Gerulfus (reliquary at a side altar), Basinus and Aldegondis. The fourteen stained glass windows of the superstructure are dedicated to Our Lady and executed by the Ganton brothers from Ghent. The sixteen stained glass windows of the lower level show scenes from the lives of the other patron saints.

The portico altars come from the disappeared abbey church . Above the high altar is a painting with the murder of Gerolf as the theme. The Marian altar shows a painting by Antoon van den Heuvel with the subject of Mary and Jesus handing over a scapular to Saint Simon Stock. The painting at the altar dedicated to Basinus shows the saint having a vision to establish three places of worship in Drongen.

The pulpit from 1859 is by Karel Bruggeman from Ghent with the four evangelists symbolically depicted. There are also scenes from the life of Saint Mark.

Willem Vandenameele