01 January - 31 December
Mon 8.00 - 18.00
Tue 8.00 - 18.00
Wed 8.00 - 18.00
Thu 8.00 - 18.00
Fri 8.00 - 18.00
Sat 8.00 - 18.00
Sun 8.00 - 18.00
Westrozebeke is mostly known for the Battle of Roosebeke (1382), where the Flemish suffered a crushing defeat against the French. According to legend a red wire around the village has protected the inhabitants from the war. This wire was secured in seven places. These days the seven little chapels of the Procession still refer to those places. Ever since this battle, Our Lady of Roosebeke has been widely idolized.
Little is known about the construction history of the church, but it is presumed that there already was a little stone church in Westrozebeke as early as the 12th century. In 1566 part of the church was damaged during the Iconoclastic Fury. Around 1740 it was decided to pull down the contemporary church and replace it by a new building. It is this new church that was completely destroyed during World War I. The current church is a reconstruction built in the 1920s.
In the choir we can find the statue of Our Lady of Roosebeke. This little sculpture has brought a great deal of pilgrims to Roosebeke over the centuries. The original statue is said to have been transferred from a forest chapel to the church in 1383, after the Battle of Roosebeke. However, it was destroyed during the Iconoclastic Fury (1566). Luckily, the new statue (16th century) was brought to safety during World War I and found temporary refuge in the Saint-Michael’s church of Roeselare during the reconstruction of the church.
The white plastered wall of the northern choir contains a fresco: a parchment crowned with a shield, showing the allegorical representation of Roosebeke, held by two angels.
The glass windows in the southern choir are dominated by Saint Joseph, the ones in the northern choir by Our Lady of Roosebeke.
On the high altar four copper candle sticks stand with the shield of the city Menen. Each candle stick is dated “1935” on the foot at the back. Each candle stick leans on three lions couchants. To both sides of the altar stand two big copper candle sticks.
The larges candle sticks with blue incorporated “stones” have nineteen electric candles with the inscription “Meenen 1937” under the coat of arms of Menen. Both the big as the small candle sticks are decorated with stylized vine leaves and bunches of grapes in art deco style. These candle sticks, but also others located elsewhere in the church, are gifts from the pilgrims of Menen.