Open Churches Days at
Our Lady
Markt 80
8950 Nieuwkerke (Heuvelland)
Church | XX | | Catholic Church
Border correction 1769
Exhibition
5 June 2026 : 10.00 - 18.006 June 2026 : 10.00 - 18.00
7 June 2026 : 10.00 - 18.00
This exhibition highlights the border correction that was signed in this church in October 1769. In his quest for conquest, the French king Louis XIV occupied Flanders, among other places, in the 17th century. Under the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), the castellany of Belle (now Bailleul, France) and the castellany of Cassel were annexed to the French crown. The inhabitants of the present-day Heuvelland villages of Dranouter, Nieuwkerke and Westouter thus became French subjects in one fell swoop. However, in two phases, in 1769 and 1780, they returned to the Austrian Netherlands.
Price
FreeContact
Raymond Six+32 474 31 27 73
raymondsix@hotmail.com
Other events at Our Lady
Beastly!
5 June 2026 : 10.00 - 18.006 June 2026 : 10.00 - 18.00
7 June 2026 : 10.00 - 18.00
Animals are omnipresent in church buildings, but also outside them. Think of the cockerel as a weather vane or the gargoyles on the gutters. On a tour of the church, you will find a series of information signs that explain the presence of an animal in the vicinity.
Geuzen in the West Quarter
5 June 2026 : 10.00 - 18.006 June 2026 : 10.00 - 18.00
7 June 2026 : 10.00 - 18.00
This exhibition uses ten panels to outline the reasons for the rise of Protestantism in the West Quarter in the 16th century. The Geuzen movement was a spontaneous popular uprising against the central government and ecclesiastical authority, fuelled by exploitation, injustice, famine, etc.
World War I and the reconstruction of the church and village
5 June 2026 : 10.00 - 18.006 June 2026 : 10.00 - 18.00
7 June 2026 : 10.00 - 18.00
In November 2018, a delegation from Canada visited Nieuwkerke to return an altar stone. This stone was rescued from the ruins of the church in 1916 by a Canadian chaplain and taken to his homeland. This prompted us to dedicate several exhibition panels to the First World War and the reconstruction of the church and village.
The people behind the reconstruction of the church
5 June 2026 : 10.00 - 18.006 June 2026 : 10.00 - 18.00
7 June 2026 : 10.00 - 18.00
On Open Monument Day, 14 September 2025, it was exactly 100 years ago that the church was reconsecrated by Bishop Gustave Waffelaert. This gave us the idea to highlight the people who worked hard and were responsible for rebuilding this church from 1919 onwards. We found information about Father Achiel Six, architect Jozef Viérin, stained glass artist Camille Wybo and many other talented craftsmen, which we will discuss below.
Exploring our church
7 June 2026 : 14.00 - 15.30A guided tour of the various exhibitions in our church, accompanied by a touch of humour.
