Saint Paul
Dorpsplein z/n
3080 Vossem (Tervuren)
Church | 1200 ; XVII | Romanesque | Catholic Church
Map
Opening hours
01 April - 31 October
Mon 10.00 - 17.00
Tue 10.00 - 17.00
Wed 10.00 - 17.00
Thu 10.00 - 17.00
Fri 10.00 - 17.00
Sat 10.00 - 17.00
Sun 10.00 - 17.00
01 November - 31 March
Mon -
Tue -
Wed -
Thu -
Fri -
Sat 10.00 - 17.00
Sun 10.00 - 17.00
Church closed for renovation until 2027.
Guided tour
- toerisme@tervuren.be+32 2 767 68 63 - heemkundetervuren@gmail.com
Religious offices
Description
Romanesque churches in the “Voer”valley. The church is built in limestone from the local area, probably around 1200.
Important changes were made at the end of the 17th century to the style that was popular at the time, Baroque. Thus the large windows let in more light, the walls and ceilings plastered, the tower raised and at the base of this tower a new entrance was made allowing worshippers to enter the church on its western side. In the Romanesque choir there are remnants of old frescoes dating from the Middle Ages. Among the church’s treasures is a 15th century oak statue of Saint Paul and a gilded cross from the Baroque period.
A short 200 meter walk from here leads you to the “Voer” which flows towards the park of Tervuren and onto Leuven.
Photos
Remarkable elements
Remaining murals
The paintings from the Romanesque period (green colour) are limited to a frieze, two niches and a Calvary. The Gothic paintings (red colour) consist out of a Calvary (partially painted by others) and a decorated frieze with some residues of figures on top. The artist Koen Broucke from Antwerp added a frieze to the portrait paintings during restoration works in 1997. The Saint Paul’s church received a price for monument care handed over by the province Flemish Brabant in 1998.
Credens nis
There is a niche underneath a blind window in the choir. Presumably it is a Gothic work of art from the fifteenth century. It was used as a ‘table’ to put the ampoules and the other necessities for service on and thus became a credens niche over time. The basins both have a different geometrical shape: one of them is round, the other one square.
The oldest door of the church
The oldest door of the church, probably from the 14th century, gives access to the old sacristy from the choir. It is reinforced with iron bands and studded with numerous nails.
Oak statue of the patron saint of the church
For years this statue stood on the outside of the presbytery’s facade (Dorpsstraat 9, Vossem) and became thoroughly weathered. The hands of Saint Paul have also disappeared. It is assumed that he held a sword in his hand, although it could also have been a book or a scroll as a reference to the numerous letters that Paul wrote. The artist of this statue, dating back to the period 1460-1480, remains unknown.
Altar painting “Conversion of Saul to Paul” from the 17th century
This painting used to hang in the middle of the columns of the baroque main altar. After the restoration works (1956-1975) the altar was not put back on its original spot since fragments of murals had been found in the choir. The choir was kept in its original Romanesque condition and the painting was moved to the southern aisle at the back of the church.
