Sint-Martinus

Van Peteghem Organ (1775-1776)

This unique and valuable organ is a listed monument. It has two keyboards, no pedals, 18 registers and 1056 organ pipes. It was built by Pieter Van Peteghem together with his son Lambertus-Benoit and was paid for by the contributions of the parishioners. According to experts, this organ is one of the best of the more than 400 organs built by the Van Peteghem family. It escaped renovations and adaptations which means it remained overall in its original state. The organ is of the split organ type, the organ casing stretches over the full width of the organ loft and incorporates the benches of the church wardens. It retained its original mechanism and is an historically valuable instrument.

Saint Martin of Tours

Against the second Toscal pillar in the nave is a polychrome statue of St. Martin on his horse by an unknown master and dating from the beginning of the 18th century. This folkloristic statue probably originates from a local (Aalst or Dendermonde) workshop. It was recently restored by Camille De Clercq from Ghent. In 1712, possibly the year it was acquired or donated, this “horse of Martin” was painted and polychromed by Jacques Stembaye.

Pulpit

This beautiful oak pulpit was made by Henricus Reraux (Dendermonde) and installed in the church in 1779. It is a good example of the artisan wood sculpture and decorative ideas of that period. It was paid for through donations by, among others, pastor Frans Vrebosch and by money received for the old pulpit sold to the church of Serskamp.

The beautiful marble bas-relief “Jesus the good shepherd gives the keys to Peter” was mounted in the pulpit body in 1780.

In 1910 the communion rail and pulpit were restored by Lippens (Ghent). Possibly around that time two nice, life-size statues of Adam and Eve which stood under the body of the pulpit disappeared. The base of one of these statues carried the name of sculptor Reraux (Dendermonde).

Paintings on the side altars

The two marble side altars were acquired in 1773. Their wooden decorated top was added in 1774. The left altar of Our Lady carries the painting “Ascension of Mary” (1774). The right altar of Saint Rochus carries the painting “Saint Rochus appointed patron saint of plague victims” (1783).

Both paintings in the style of P.P. Rubens were painted by the well known and important painter Willem Jacob Herreyns from Antwerp.

These beautiful paintings and the 14 Stations of the Cross were restored by Frederik Cnockaert from Wervik in 2013.

High Altar

The monumental altar is a good example of religious rococo art from the 18th century. On May 12th, 1780 the pink marble altar was bought by baron Frans Goos, the then Lord of Gijzegem from the Jesuit church in Ghent. In 1623 it was donated to that church by bishop Triest, bishop of Malines.

It has a nicely decorated tabernacle and six 19th century candlesticks in silver plated copper. On both sides of the altar we can see coats of arms: left, that of the Goos family; right, that of the Goubeau family. On the higher, grey marble tomb is an inlayed white marble representation of the Lamb of God on the Book of Seven Seals, surrounded by an aureole. In a white marble clous and a gilded aureole is Saint Martin. The artist is unknown.

Baron Goos also donated the steps to the altar and the tomb with the statue of the church patron Saint Martin. Both religious pieces of art were donated in 1773, raising the idea that they initially formed the high altar, especially as the altar body in grey marble is in the same style as both side altars. In 1780 it was integrated into the altar that we can admire today.

Our Lady of Gijzegem

The original wooden polychrome statue of Our Lady of Gijzegem, from an unknown artist, was stoled in the early 1960s. A duplicate was made based on photo’s of the original (see inventory KIK).

This statue is now in the beautiful, recently refurbished Mary chapel on the left of the Van Peteghem organ. It was sculpted in 1982 in the academy of Arts in Anderlecht, where Roland Monteyne, who acted as mediator, was teaching at that time.

The font in the Mary chapel was made in 1862 by stonemason Van Assche from Dendermonde.