Saint Mary's Royal Church

Saint Mary's Royal Church (French: Église Royale Sainte-Marie, Dutch: Koninklijke Sint-Mariakerk) is a Roman Catholic parish church located on the Place de la Reine/Koninginneplein in the Brussels municipality of Schaerbeek (Belgium). Officially dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, it is popularly associated with Queen Louise-Marie, first Queen of the Belgians, as is the square where it is located, which earned it the title of "Royal".

Saint Mary's Royal Church
French: Église Royale Sainte-Marie
Dutch: Koninklijke Sint-Mariakerk
St. Mary's Royal Church in Schaerbeek
50°51′33″N 4°22′08″E
LocationPlace de la Reine / Koninginneplein
B-1030 Schaerbeek, Brussels-Capital Region
CountryBelgium
DenominationRoman Catholic
History
StatusParish church
DedicationOur Lady of the Assumption (official), Queen Louise-Marie
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationProtected[1]
Designated09/11/1976
Architect(s)Henri Désiré Louis Van Overstraeten
Architectural typeChurch
StyleEclecticism
Groundbreaking1845
Completed1888
Specifications
Number of domes1
Administration
ArchdioceseMechelen-Brussels

This site is served by the Botanique/Kruidtuin metro station on lines 2 and 6 of the Brussels metro.

History

The building was designed by the architect Henri Désiré Louis Van Overstraeten and built between 1845 and 1888 in an eclectic style combining neo-Romanesque and neo-Gothic elements with influences from Byzantine and Roman architecture.[2] Following Van Overstraeten's death in 1849, his father-in-law Louis Roelandt took over the management of the works, then the architect Gustave Hansotte after Roelandt's passing in 1864.[3] The windows were designed and created by the stained glass artist Jean-Baptiste Capronnier (1814–1891). Although unfinished, the church was opened to worship on 15 August 1853 and consecrated on 14 October 1902, feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, by the archbishop of Mechelen Cardinal Goossens.[3]

As early as 1870, the building required expensive repairs to remedy rainwater infiltration generated by repeated work interruptions. Despite punctual restoration work over the next 70 years, the deterioration continued after World War II. Following the fall of several stones on the street below it in 1963, the crown of the tower attached to the side of the church, designed by Hansotte, was demolished, and the church was ultimately closed in 1965.[3]

The building received protected status through a royal decree issued on 9 November 1976.[3] It was the subject of a restoration campaign from 1982 to 1996. A fire that occurred on 8 September 1985, however, destroyed the already restored dome and roofs and abruptly interrupted the works. The restoration restarted in 1992 and ended in 1994, and the church finally reopened on 17 April 1996.[3]

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See also
  • List of churches in Brussels

References
  1. "Schaerbeek - Église Sainte-Marie - Place de la Reine - VAN OVERSTRAETEN Henri Désiré Louis". www.irismonument.be. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
  2. "Eglise Royale Sainte Marie". visit.brussels. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
  3. "Schaerbeek - Église Sainte-Marie - Place de la Reine - VAN OVERSTRAETEN Henri Désiré Louis". www.irismonument.be. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
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