Saint Mary's Royal Church

History

Construction

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. 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 death in 1864. The stained glass windows were designed and crafted by the artist Jean-Baptiste Capronnier. Although unfinished, the church was opened to worship on 15 August 1853.

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After Hansotte's death in 1866, the architects François Thomisse and Alexandre Struyven took over as directors of the site. The completion works were finally accepted on 11 January 1888. A long period of interior fittings then began, continuing well beyond the church's solemn consecration, which took place on 14 October 1902, feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, by the archbishop of Mechelen Cardinal Goossens.

Repairs and protection

As early as 1870, the building required costly repairs to remedy rainwater infiltration caused by repeated interruptions during construction. Despite punctual restoration work over the next seventy years, the deterioration continued after World War II. Following the fall of several stones on the street below 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, its condition considered too dangerous.

The building received protected status through a royal decree issued on 9 November 1976. 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, with the church finally reopening on 17 April 1996.

Description

Structurally, the body of the church is an octagon, the southern side of which opens onto the porch, and the northern side onto a rectangle that houses, in elevated form, the sanctuary, and in the basement, a large crypt. Eight pillars around the perimeter of an inner circle 25 m in diameter form the building's framework. A 5 m ambulatory surrounds this circular nave. Six chapels occupy the other sides of the octagon. The pillars are linked to each other by horseshoe arches. A staircase leads up to the sanctuary. To the right and left of the stairs, two flights of steps descend to the Romanesque-style crypt, with, on the lower floor, a "sub-crypt".

File:Brussel-Schaerbeek, église Royale Sainte-Marie oeg2264-00030 foto5 2015-06-07 14.46.jpg|The church from the Rue Royale/Koningsstraat in nearby Saint-Josse-ten-Noode File:St.Mary's Church in Brussels.jpg|View of the church by night File:JP2016 234.jpg|Inside view File:Église Royale Ste-Marie-Schaerbeek-chaire.jpeg|The pulpit File:Église Royale Ste-Marie-Schaerbeek-retable(gauche).jpeg|The retable

References

Footnotes

Citations

Bibliography

• Louis van Overstraeten, Architectonographie des Temples chrétiens (in French), Mechelen, 1850.
• Jean Delsaux, L'église Ste-Marie à Bruxelles, une œuvre d'une ferveur et d'une probité artistique exceptionnelles, in Les Amis de l'église Ste-Marie, s. d. (in French), Brussels, 1968

References

1. "Schaerbeek - Église Sainte-Marie - Place de la Reine - VAN OVERSTRAETEN Henri Désiré Louis".
2. "Eglise Royale Sainte Marie".