Open Churches Days at
Saint-Laurent

Saint-Laurent church in Haut-Ittre is shaped like a Latin cross.

The square, sandstone Romanesque tower, with very small openings at the top, dates from the 11th century. According to historian Paul Jadin, a central nave and a Romanesque choir were added to this tower around 1250.

A first lateral nave was added to the north around 1400: “This part of the building is Gothic in style, with a vault whose ribs fall on brackets decorated with grimacing figures, and buttresses at the corners” (Paul Jadin, L'église Saint-Laurent à Haut-Ittre en Brabant, Les enseignements d'une restauration, Journées du Patrimoine 2008).

And for the construction of the second side aisle, to the south, “We will base ourselves here on the examination of the lapidary signs [of blue stone masons] present everywhere inside and out, the columns of the crossing (...), the Gothic arches of the windows. The signatures are those of well-known stonemasons from the first quarter of the 16th century”. (Paul Jadin, Ibid.)

Baroque altars in painted wood were installed in the 17th century. The Baroque altar in the choir covers the medieval stone altar that still exists.

The church is also notable for its 15th-16th century Gothic statues, a 16th century painting on wood of Saint Jerome, a beautiful polychrome wooden statue of Saint Lawrence and his 18th century grill, gold and silverware, a magnificent baptismal font cover, tombstones, stained glass windows and the Stations of the Cross created in 2012 by the painter and graphic artist Michel Olyff, who lives in Haut-Ittre and also designed the World Heritage emblem.