Collegiate Church of St. Peter and St. Guido
The Collegiate Church of St. Peter and St. Guido (French: Collégiale Saints-Pierre-et-Guidon, Dutch: Sint-Pieter-en-Sint-Guidokerk) is a Roman Catholic collegiate church located in the centre of Anderlecht, a municipality of Brussels, Belgium. It is dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Guy, the patron saint of the Anderlecht.
| Collegiate Church of St. Peter and St. Guido | |
|---|---|
 Collegiate Church of St. Peter and St. Guido | |
| 50°50′12″N 4°18′22″E | |
| Location | Place de la Vaillance / Dapperheidsplein B-1070 Anderlecht, Brussels-Capital Region |
| Country | Belgium |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Status | Collegiate church |
| Dedication |
|
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Protected[1] |
| Designated | 25/10/1938 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | |
| Years built | 14th–16th centuries (church) 19th century (spire) |
| Completed | 1898 |
| Specifications | |
| Number of spires | 1 |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Mechelen–Brussels |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Jozef De Kesel (Primate of Belgium) |
The church, in Brabantine Gothic style, was built between the 14th and 16th centuries above an earlier Romanesque crypt. Partially attributed to the Flemish architect Jan van Ruysbroeck, it is a notable illustration of late medieval architecture in Brussels. Its neo-Gothic spire dates from the 19th century. The complex was designated a historic monument in 1938.[1]
The church is located on the northern side of the Place de la Vaillance/Dapperheidsplein, not far from Erasmus House, the old beguinage of Anderlecht and the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium (the main football stadium of Anderlecht). This area is served by Saint Guidon/Sint Guido metro station on line 5 of the Brussels Metro.
History
Early history
A first church was founded by a chapter of canons shortly before 1078. This first church was of the Romanesque style, as attested by the 11th century-crypt still remaining beneath the chancel, and which was intended for the worship of relics.[2] In this crypt lies a very old tombstone, resting on two brick pedestals, with no inscription and with only design a branch with a few leaves. A long tradition of pilgrimages consider it to be the tomb of Saint Guy (French: Saint Guidon, Dutch: Saint Guido), the Poor Man of Anderlecht, who died around 1012.[3] The following centuries, this "tomb" of Saint Guy began to attract a large number of pilgrims, eventually becoming a place of dedication for the saint.
The Brabantine Gothic building that we know today was erected in stages from 1350 to 1527. At that time, Anderlecht was still a village in the outskirts of Brussels counting barely 300 inhabitants.[4] Built in the centre of the village, the church was intended for gatherings much bigger than just the parish community, hence its large size. Hendrik de Mol was responsible for the works from 1443, succeeding his friend Gillis Joos. De Mol was in turn succeeded between 1479 and 1485 by Jan van Ruysbroeck, the court architect of Philip the Good,[5] who also designed the tower of Brussels' Town Hall.[6] Van Ruysbroeck mainly oversaw the construction of the choir. After him, Jan van Evergem took over the building in 1485, followed by his son Hendrik. The famous master builder Louis van Bodeghem, the architect behind the Royal Monastery of Brou at Bourg-en-Bresse (France), designed the portal.[7] From 1517, Matthijs III Keldermans worked on the originally square tower and the side chapels.[8] Construction was completed in 1527.
19th century–present
Restoration works were carried out on the church between 1843 and 1847, under the direction of the architect Jules-Jacques Van Ysendyck, which lead to the discovery of several wall paintings from the early 15th and 16th centuries.[9] In 1898, the square tower was surmounted with a neo-Gothic spire, giving the church its current appearance.
The church was designated a historic monument on 25 October 1938.[1] It was the subject of a cleaning campaign from 1994 to 1997.
Gallery
Frontal view of the tower
Main portal
Interior
Tomb of the canons Van Dievoet
See also
References
Notes
- "Registre du patrimoine immobilier protégé dans la Région". patrimoine.brussels. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
- "Collégiale Saints-Pierre-et-Guidon". visit.brussels (in French). Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- "Saint Guy of Anderlecht". CatholicSaints.Info. 14 September 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- Roux de Luze, Clémence (2010). "La maison d'Erasme". Juliette & Victor, le magazine de l'art de vivre franco-belge. Archived from the original on 3 October 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- De Vries 2003, p. 32.
- Hennaut 2000, p. 5–9.
- "Heritage Days – Saints-Pierre-et-Guidon/Sint-Pieter-en-Sint-Guido Collegiate Church – Anderlecht – Saints-Pierre-et-Guidon/Sint-Pieter-en-Sint-Guido Collegiate Church". heritagedays.urban.brussels. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- "Collegial Church of Saint Peter and Saint Guidon - Bruxelles ma Belle | Un site utilisant WordPress". www.bruxellesmabelle.net. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- "An insider's guide to Anderlecht" (PDF).
Bibliography
- De Vries, André (2003). Brussels: A Cultural and Literary History. Oxford: Signal Books. ISBN 978-1-902669-46-5.
- Hennaut, Eric (2000). La Grand-Place de Bruxelles. Bruxelles, ville d'Art et d'Histoire (in French). Vol. 3. Brussels: Éditions de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale.
- Jacobs, Roel (2004). Een geschiedenis van Brussel (in Dutch). Tielt: Lannoo. p. 21. ISBN 978-90-209-5269-8.
