Nos événements
Open Church after restoration work
We want to open the church up to the tower to show the public the restoration work (from June 2019 to August 2021) as opposed to the Open Church Days in 2014 where the need for restoration was central + theme was Memories of 14-18.
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Event Host Building
Heilig Hart van Jezus en Heilige Amandus
The first church in Spiere/Espierres was a chapel, which was built on a height because the village was often flooded. The first “real” church was also built in the same place, but was destroyed by a fire on 21 April 1452. A second church was built around 1750. A memorial of the laying of the first stone was found on 1 July 1754.
In 1890, during a visit by Monsignor Faict, then bishop of Bruges, it was decided to rebuild the church. Baron Jean-Baptisete Béthune was approached. Given his advanced age, he entrusted the design to the Kortrijk architect Jules Carette. On 6 April 1891 the demolition began. Only the tower and the foundations of the old church were preserved. On 2 July 1891 the baron and the baroness of Spiere laid the first stone. The church was built with stones from Tournai.
On 4 November 1918, fate struck again: a fire destroyed the church. All that remained of the neo-Gothic church were the walls and the tower. It was rebuilt from 1920 to 1925 according to the original plans of 1891.
Below are 2 photos of the church before restoration, and 2 photos after restoration.
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