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Discover the art treasures of St Waldetrudis church
Discover the known and the hidden paintings of the church as well as the wealth of the treasury.
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Saint Waldtrude
The church of Saint Waldtrude is a good example of local Brabant gothic style, erected in limestone.
The crossing tower is a striking feature, seemingly sagging into the nave because the tower and the transept are remnants of the 14th century church, while the nave and chancel date from the 15th century. The design has been attributed to the Brussels architect Gillis van den Bossche. The chancel is richly decorated with gargoyles and pinnacles. The nave received a more sober interior.
The uniform baroque interior contains several pieces of art such as the altar piece depicting Saint Crispin and Crispinianus and paintings by Franckens, De Vos, Jordaens and Cossiers.
The patron saint is Saint Waltrude from the Hainaut province. She lived in the 7th century and was from nobel descent. She founded an abbey for women where she and her 2 daughters retreated. This abbey formed the early beginnings of the town of Mons and later developed into a chapter of regular canonesses for the nobility. This chapter owned several pieces of land, including a property in Herentals, which explains the link between the town and the saint. The chapter also owned rights to the church until the end of the Ancien Régime.
A free brochure of the church and its history is available.
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