Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Until 1976, the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was characterised by a tall spire topped by a statue of the Virgin Mary, which overlooked the lands of the former Blootland (a vast marshy plain) that had been gradually drained thanks to a network of drainage canals, established at the instigation of Philip of Alsace, Count of Flanders.

The present church, built in 1875 on the initiative of Father Degrez, replaces an old chapel first mentioned as early as the 9th century. Built of yellow ‘sécherie’ bricks and Tournehem stone, it is a fine example of rural Neo-Gothic architecture in the Audruicq area. Its single nave and slightly narrower chancel are decorated with Marquise marble. Its interior, featuring a remarkably uniform and coherent set of furnishings, seems frozen in the spirit of the 19th century. Only the altar of celebration, installed following the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, reflects the liturgical developments characteristic of the 20th century. As for the spire that once dominated the landscape, it was finally removed in 1976. The statue of the Virgin Mary was then taken down and placed above the side entrance, where it now watches over the cemetery and the village.

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