Church of Saint-Omer
The Saint-Omer church is located in Ochtezeele, in the Hauts-de-France region. The church was built on the foundations of a former 12th century oratory, whose main facade can still be seen on the western side, and is the main witness to the original Romanesque style building. The enlargement of the building took place in the 15th-16th century. Built on a church-hall plan, very popular in the coastal region, the church includes an octagonal bell tower which is one of the highest in Flanders.
About this building
The Church of Saint-Omer is located in Ochtezeele, in the Hauts-de-France region. Ochtezeele is one of the oldest villages in West Flanders. It was first mentioned in an address by Pope Honorius II in 1127. The church was built in the twelfth century, on the foundations of a former oratory, evidence of which can be seen in the western façade, which also the main example the Romanesque style.
The expansion of the building took place between the first third of the 15th century and the second half of the 16th century. Built on a church-hall plan, which is very popular in the coastal region, the church includes an octagonal bell tower which is one of the highest in Flanders. It was at this time also that the northern aisle was widened while keeping the south aisle and adding a triple apse. Only the little door of paradise with its broken arch lintel testifies to the reworking of the facings at the end of the 15th century.
Several objects are classified as Historical Monuments including: an altarpiece of the Virgin and four statues from the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, a painting from the eighteenth century depicting St. Nicholas soothing the storm, a tribune organ classified in 1982, the pulpit from the eighteenth century and an eighteenth century choir fence.
