Church of Sint-Leonardus in Sint-Lenaarts (Brecht) - Discover this open and welcoming religious building

Church | XV | Gothic | Catholic Church

Disabled access Parking space Toilets Pilgrimage site Graveyard

Map

How to get there

Opening hours

06 July - 30 August
Mon -
Tue -
Wed -
Thu 9.00 - 13.00
Fri -
Sat 13.00 - 17.00
Sun 13.00 - 17.00

Guided tour

+32 3 660 28 30 (Cultuurcentrum Brecht)
+32 3 313 07 07 (church warden)

Religious offices

Kerknet

Description

Sint-Lenaarts prides itself in her monumental Sint-Leonardus church also called the Cathedral of the heathland because of its exceptional beauty, character and richness. It was built in 1550, by order of count Antoine de Lalaing and Elisabeth van Culembourg, using bricks and white blocks of sandstone.

In former days a chapel was already present. Since the 13th century this chapel was frequently visited as a place of pilgrimage alongside the way towards Santiago de Compostella in Spain. In 1584 the city of Brecht was destroyed due to religious riots. The church was spared and served from 1584 onwards as a safe haven for the local population. The building suffered nevertheless tremendous damage during World War II and was restored during 1946-1953.

The church houses several very valuable art treasures. The two renaissance stained-glass windows (ca. 1535) depicting Saint Leonardus and the resurrection of Christ are of great historical value. The numerous 15th and 16th century statues of saints and the 17th century Belgian bluestone gravestones are also worth a look.
In the back of the church there is a memorial painting dedicated to soldiers fallen in battle. It rests below a mural of Saint Michaël and the dragon.

Inside the Saint-Leonardus church we find a beautifully restored 14th-15th century trunk coffin. This specific style of coffin is very rare, there are only seven left in Flanders. The trunk was crafted from one piece of massive indigenous oak measuring 1,93 meters and weighing over a 100 kilograms. The trunk is protected by sixteen wrought iron belts and six locks. It was used as a safe or an archive suitcase holding bills, records or alderman registers.

On Whit Monday it’s a century old tradition for the procession of Saint-Leonardus to take place in Brecht. Hundreds of actors impersonate tableaus from the life of Jezus from Nazareth, Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint-Leonardus.

Want to know more about the trunk coffin and the procession? There are free brochures available at the Tourists office in Brecht.

KIKIRPA : Photo-library online

More information about the church and the biking- and hiking routes in the region

More information about the procession

Photos

Remarkable elements

Retable

The oak wooden altarpiece was assembled in 1501-1550. In an elongated cabinet three wooden statues arise from the artificial flowers and exuberant adornments. These statues depict the Holy Leonardus, Saint Augustinus and the Holy Elisabeth of Hungary. The lower part of the retable is even more valuable. It exists of eight small reliefs made out of pipe clay. Furthermore there is an ivory medallion depicting the Holy Virgin Mary and her child Jesus. The Lamb of God present on the retable dates from the popedom of Martinus V.

16th century stained-glass window

The Leonardus church contains a rare stained glass window from 1544. It represents the resurrection of Christ. In the lower parts of the windows the Maecenas, Adriaan van der Noot and his three sons, kneel. Behind them arises the Holy Adriaan. At the other side of Josina Daens, the wife of Adriaan, is depicted together with her daughters and the apostate Saint-Jacob. At the bottom their escutcheons are displayed. One blazon however is missing, that of the mother of Josina Daens. She was Jan Daens’ wife and lived in Antwerp around 1450. Her family name and escutcheon remains unknown to this day.

16th century statues

The church retains four century old oak wood statues from the 16th century namely those of the Holy Barbara, Saint-Antonius, Saint-Augustinus and Saint-Eligius.

Tree trunk case

The tree trunk case, a pretty rare and unique piece of furniture, is 1,93 meters long and weighs more than a 100 kilos. It was made out of one piece of massive native wood. According to a carbon-14 dating the tree trunk case dates back to the 14th-15th century. This massive piece of furniture was the predecessor of the modern steel safe. A free brochure that tells you all about this exceptional case is available at the Tourist Office of Brecht.

Commemorative plaque

Prof. E. Pellens the names of the 12 people from the parish of Brecht who fell during WWI onto a commemorative plaque made to honour these victims. At the top of the plaque a triumphant Saint-Michiel is seen. The fresco was painted by Emiel Stoffels and the design of the plaque was a realization of Marcel Ganten.