Steenvoorde

Did you know that the origin of the famous historical Iconoclasm was in Steenvoorde? On August 10, 1566, an aggressive and provocative hedge sermon was held here against the prevailing conditions and teachings of the Church. The sermons were held outside the city, mostly in the open air. That is why they were called hedge sermons. The spectators here were encouraged to break the images in the nearby Lawrence monastery. That was the catalyst for the Iconoclasm, one of the most significant events of the Reformation. In the first phase, the Iconoclasm took place in the Westhoek (from August 10 to 18). The second phase took place along the Scheldt (from August 20 to 27) in places like Antwerp, Oudenaarde, Ghent. But the Iconoclasm continued further in present-day Netherlands (Breda, Den Bosch, Middelburg, Amsterdam, Delft, Utrecht, The Hague. The third phase took place in North and East Netherlands (September/October 1566).

Dromos