Church of Heilige Familie in Brasschaat - Discover this open and welcoming religious building

Church | 1910 | Neoromanesque | Catholic Church

Disabled access Parking space

Map

Opening hours

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

Closed for a long time due to works.
The Marian domain next to the church remains accessible during the works and is open every day.

Religious offices

Kerknet

Description

The Holy Family church was built in 1910 by Antoon van den Weyngaert, founder of the Antverpia bank located at Mariaburg (Brasschaat). The construction of this church was a private initiative by the deeply religious Antoon van den Weyngaert. He built the church together with a sanctuary, a hotel, a rectory, and a couple of houses in the middle of vacant land that was property owned by his bank with the purpose of further developing these grounds. The architect of the church as well as the other buildings was Floris Verbraeken, the main architect of van den Weyngaert.

The church is a single-naved neo-romanesque church. In February of 1945, the church was severely damaged by a V-1 flying bomb that landed on the house next to the church. After the war, the church was restored.

Mariadomein

Photos

Remarkable elements

The tympanum above the main entrance

Image of the “Patron Saint” of church and parish: the Holy Family (Joseph and Mary with the child Jesus). A neo-gothic representation in white execution, by sculptor Louis Jacobin.

The glass windows on both sides

The glass windows on both sides symbolically represent the seven sacraments: Baptism (first to the left), Confirmation (first to the right), the Eucharist (second to the left), Penance (second to the right), Holy Orders and Anointing of the Sick (third to the left), and Matrimony (third to the right).

Glass windows above the head altar

Three stunning glass windows above the head altar: they too represent the Holy Family: Mary, Jesus and Joseph. Jesus is primarily depicted as a child, but He is also the Son of the Father, and between them, one can see a dove, a symbol of the Holy Spirit. This way, the middle window is also a representation of the Holy Trinity.

The Stations of the Cross

14 images that remind us of the path that Jesus travelled from Pilate’s Palace to the mountain of Golgotha (also called Mount Calvary) where Jesus was crucified.

The square

The square in front of the church where people can chat with one another after the celebration, with in the middle of the square a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Domain of Mary

But the show piece of this site is actually located outside of the church: take the little asphalt road that one can find behind the church to one’s right, as this will lead one to the domain of Mary with a Lourdes grotto and a Saint Roch chapel, complete with a Way of the Seven Sorrows and a Way of the Cross. In 1916, these buildings were transferred here from the village of Stabroek. This domain of Mary has by now almost completely been restored. From 2017 onwards, it is considered a protected national heritage, and in 2018 the site was reconsecrated by Johann Bonny, bishop of Antwerp. Definitely don’t forget to go visit the open air pulpit and pilgrim’s hut in rustic concrete. More information is to be found on the website www.mariadomeinkaart.be and on Wikipedia.