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Unique nativity scene in Velzeke church
At Christmas time, you can admire a unique nativity scene in Velzeke church. Besides Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus, the shepherds and the three kings, you will see dozens more figures: people, animals, angels... They are beautiful wax figurines with unique facial expressions. The animals are made entirely of wax. The people have wax heads and hands. The clothes are made of fine fabrics, sometimes worked with gold thread. Furthermore, the figures carry all kinds of small attributes. The statues find shelter in a beautiful stable constructed with equal attention to detail.
The longer you look at the stable, the more you are surprised by the precision and patience of Velzeken artist Johan Blondeel, who created this atmospheric Christmas scene. For six years, Johan, now a retired plastic education teacher, worked on it. He completed the nativity scene in 1986. For years, the stable was set up every Christmas time in his own living room where friends and acquaintances could admire it. In 2017, Johan donated his nativity scene to the church of Velzeke. This way, everyone can enjoy and get quiet during the Christmas period with this beautiful work of art.
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Saint Martin
Like many old churches, Saint Martin (Martin of Tours) was also chosen as patron saint of the church. His depiction as a horseman sharing his cloak with a beggar at the gates of the city of Amiens, was therefore chiseled into the entrance gate. One can see this same image returning in the left aisle and also as a fresco in the choir. Later (16th century) he received some competition from Saint Wilgefortis who is depicted on the side altar to the right. The statue of Saint Uncumber with beard on a cross (from 1646) was rescued from the fire of 1728.
Excavations in and near the church make one assume that the first church building was already established here during the 9th century. The consecutive construction phases led to this result: a Gothic western tower (13th century), a Gothic three-aisled nave consisting of four bays (13th century, 15th century), a higher Romanesque choir (11th century, 12th century), a southern sacristy from the 18th century with 17th century substructure and a southern storage room (early 19th century). In the walls, one can find an enormous variety of building materials, including Roman roof tiles.
One can find an overview of the numerous paintings and statues in the brochure that is available in the church. Furthermore, one can find in the interior a renaissance tinted pulpit (17th century), four confessionals from the 18th century, choir stalls from the 19th century, and a rood screen with organ by A.F. Van Peteghem (1771), which was modified in 1914. The side wall is decorated with ancient epitaphs. The village of Velzeke offers a beautiful backdrop with historical elements but the cemetery next to the church has been replaced by an asphalt square since 1960.
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