Church of Sint-Rita in Zandberg (Harelbeke) - Discover this open and welcoming religious building

Church | 1966 | Modern | Catholic Church

Disabled access Parking space Organ Pilgrimage site

Map

Opening hours

01 January - 31 December
Mon 9.30 - 17.30
Tue 9.30 - 17.30
Wed 9.30 - 17.30
Thu 9.30 - 17.30
Fri 9.30 - 17.30
Sat 9.30 - 17.30
Sun -

The entrance to the church is currently inaccessible due to construction work.

Guided tour

Véronique De Wijze +32 497 03 41 46

Religious offices

Kerknet

Description

The construction of this modernist pearl by architect Leon Stijnen and his associate colleague Paul De Meyer began in 1963 and was completed in 1966. The two architects aimed to create a self-supporting structure with walls 8.5 cm thick.

Leon Stijnen (1899 - 1990) was a fashionable architect of the modernist style in Belgium. As Director of the Institut National Supérieur d'Architecture et des Arts décoratifs in Brussels (1950), he marked the modernist architecture in Belgium with his seal for a decade. This is how he created the Kursaal in Ostend and all the buildings of the Singel in Antwerp.

The architect was very keen that the exterior appearance should retain the original colour of the concrete, but the church was nevertheless painted white later. The plan is in the form of an irregular hexagon with a diameter of 30 metres. The whole thing looks like a truncated pyramid. Because of this form, Stijnen made sure to put a central source of light in it.

For the interior, Stijnen and De Meyer seem to have literally translated the ancient text of the Bible: "God's tent among his people". This biblical reference is not only expressed in the aspect of the tent, but several elements refer to the Holy Scriptures.

With the exception of the confessionals (made of wood), all the furniture of the church, altar, baptismal font, credence, desk, as well as the support of the tabernacle were made of prefabricated polished concrete. The statue of Notre-Dame-des-Flandres was designed by Marcel Notebaert and executed by the goldsmith Adhemar Verdroemme. Notebaert also made the statue of Saint Rita. Firmin Colardyn added the expressionist Way of the Cross in bas relief. His brother Lieven Colardyn is the author of the head of Christ.

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Remarkable elements

Sainte Rita / Dames de choeur - campagne 2021

Au nom de la rose, du modernisme et de Rita.

Our Lady of Flanders

The statues of Our Lady of Flanders (on the right-hand side) and Saint Rita (at the back left against the portal) were designed by painter Marcel Notebaert from Kortrijk and created by artist blacksmith Adhemar Vandroemme from Ypres.

Stations of the Cross

The Stations of the Cross were initially depicted by fourteen white crosses affixed to the walls. This was in keeping with the austere spirit of the design.

The Stations of the Cross by painter Firmin Colardyn, in expressionist cell relief, date from 1954, but had to wait almost 30 years to find their destination.

Firmin's wish that St. Rita's Church would be a beautiful place for his Stations of the Cross was posthumously fulfilled in April 1981. At that time, on the recommendation of the museum committee, it was loaned to the church by the city of Harelbeke.

Head of Christ

A work by Lieven Colardyn, Firmin's brother.

Confessionals

The confessionals, designed by Steynen, are so large because they have to camouflage the flaws left over from an initial plan for concrete confessionals.

Baptismal font

The baptismal font, as well as the fixed church furniture or its base (altar, credence table, tabernacle base and fixed lectern) are made of polished prefabricated beton.

Organ

The organ, which has a mechanical key and stop action, is located in the space to the left rear of the choir. It was built in 1966 by the firm Théopfile Delmotte & Fils from Tournai.