Collegiate Church of Saint Gertrude, Wallonia, Belgium

4Trainbleu 5:00 PM Oct 27, 2016

A very unusual churchin Nivelles
Having seen a picture of the Romanesque Saint Gertrude Collegiate Church in a book on Belgium’s architectural heritage, we were eager to visit it. We were told at the tourist office there was a guided tour every day at 2 p.m. but, on a weekday in October, we waited in vain for a guide both inside and outside the building. In the end, we looked around by ourselves with detailed leaflets we picked up on-site. Walking around Saint Gertrude, we were impressed by the sheer size of it, but mostly by the fortress-like westwork with its large apse, two round corner turrets and larger octagonal tower in the middle. The upper part would look forbidding were it not for the three rows of elegant small windows separated by one or two columns. We weren’t aware of the fact that the church had been seriously damaged by a bombardment in 1940 and that its present form is in fact a reconstruction of the original Romanesque structure. There were times when Saint Gertrude had a gothic spire, which collapsed in 1940, and gargoyles and a baroque portal, which were removed and relocated in Dodaine Park, where we of course went to see them. Inside, the Romanesque structure has also been restored and it is truly amazing, but we were rather disappointed to find a large exhibition of religious art from various periods but no medieval art: Renaissance oak stalls from the 16th century, funerary monuments from the 16th and the 17th century, paintings from the 16th to the18 th century and several works by sculptor Laurent Delvaux (who died in Nivelles in 1778), which weren’t our cup of tea. As we weren’t accompanied by a guide, we were unable to visit the archaeological basement, the crypt, Saint Gertrud’ chapel and the imperial room. The cloister was closed also but, as one of us was taking pictures through an iron gate at the back of the church, two friendly city wardens told us the cloister was accessible via the main entrance of the nearby city hall. A staff member showed us the way. Although only part of the cloister retains its 13th century form- the rest being a19 th century reconstruction - it is worth a peek. There are nice views on the church, especially in combination with the rescued clocks of the old gothic tower resting on the grass.

4Globetrotter045 5:00 PM Aug 26, 2015

Impressive !
This church is not so well known, but really worth a visit. When I arrived at the Grand’ Place of Nivelles, my first impression was “Wow, what a very imposing church !” The church is a mixture of styles, but somehow the overall effect is harmonious. The gothic spire of the church was destroyed by bombing in WWII and was replaced by an octagonal Romanesque tower. That makes the west side even more striking. The different architectural styles are also reflected inside : bare Romanesque walls, artworks from different centuries and modern stained glass windows. You can visit the church every day individually , but there are also guided visits at 14:00. With a guide you visit extra rooms, like the crypt and the imperial hall. .