Open Churches Days at
Sint-Bavo

The establishment of St Bavo's Church as a parish prayer hall dates back to the 10th century AD , when the German emperor Otto II, at the request of the monks of Ghent's St Bavo's Abbey, returned the property taken from them. Hence St Bavo as patron saint.

Recent excavations showed that a three-nave church building with a choir and west tower already existed in the 9th-10th century. This masonry structure probably stood on top of a small wooden church that served as the original place of worship.

Writings show that around 1430, there was already a stone, masonry building with Gothic vaults. During the religious wars a century later, the church was severely damaged by arson and was then rebuilt around 1640. When permission was obtained around 1841 to add two aisles to the transept, the church was enlarged. Always with respect and preservation of the (late) Gothic architectural style.

As for the interior, apart from the wood-carved pulpit, it boasts a series of stained-glass windows installed in the high choir in 1864-1865. They depict the lives of a number of saints. Three of them depict a former (1821-1824) pastor of the parish of St.-Bavo, namely the later cardinal and archbishop Mgr Engelbertus Sterckx.

The three altars: the high altar, the altar of Our Lady and the altar of St Joseph, built respectively in marble, wood and metal, contribute to the fact that the entire church was classified as cultural heritage in 1996.