Sint-Mattheus

Wednesday 8.30 am

The church, with neo-gothic interior, dates from 1875-81, and was designed by the architect Van Hoecke-Peeters. He was a well known government architect (schools and city halls) as well as a religious builder (f.e. Our Lady of Lourdes in Oostakker). In Munkzwalm he was instructed to replace the small and ruinous single-bay roman church. He designed a brick three-aisled building of four bays long, with the typical pointed arch windows in neo-gothic tracery.

The interior mainly dated from the construction period, with also a Mechels sculpture Our Lady with Child from around the year 1600. The restored oak confessional dates from around 1650. The oak main altar contains polychrome painted sculptural groups (1900). Above the two neo-gothic side altars you can see new murals have been placed. Further: oak choir stalls, an altar rail, a pulpit etc. In the tradition of the gothic revival. Sixteen of the nineteen stained glasses were added in 1983.

Two of the bluestone bricks refer to the beginning of the construction works. Those times, the mayor, who also was the chairman of the church council, had a quarrel with the priest Verstraete, which resulted in the removal of the name of the priest from tje first brick. Therefore the bishop of Gent refused to consecrate the new church as long as that name was not restored. Eventually the two parties found a compromise: on the outer facade they placed a new brick with the name on it.

In the surrounding cemetery you can find a tombstome, which dates from the 18th Century, originating from the first church. The Zuidlaan, by the church, connects the picturesque Zwalm stream with the village. Close to the Zwalm mill you can find the memorial for the writer Omer Wattez, a man who glorified this region.

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