Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe Church

Saint Martin's church and cemetery can be found in Wilsele, valuable historical riches in the shadow of Leuven.

The church of Sint-Geertui (St. Gertrude) was built between the 13th and the 15th century. In 1453, the west tower was crowned with an spire design of Jan van Ruysbroeck (1396-1486). Ruysbroeck was specialized in spires and became famous for his work on the Brussels Town Hall. In 1796, the French government dissolved the abbey to which the church belonged. In the 19th century, when the church was once again used as a parish church, the first restorations were organized. During the second world war, in 1944, the church and the abbey got gravely bombed by a strayed allied bomb. The reconstruction of the destroyed parts started in 1950 and the church was rededicated in 1953. Recent restorations were carried out in 1996-1997 and 2001-2003.

In the center of Louvain, you can find the Sint-Pieterskerk (Saint Peter’s Church). It is the oldest church in the city and was built in 986. In 1176, the church caught fire for the first time. During the 15th century, the demolition of the pervious Romanesque church started and the construction of the current Gothic building began. It took more than a century before everything was completed and only the crypt has remained as an original part of the first church. In the 16th century, three unfinished towers collapsed due to unstable ground. The original plans for the building were changed and the towers remained unfinished. In 1750 an earthquake caused problems, but the most damage ever was done during the two world wars: the roof and a large part of the interior burned down in 1914 and the building was bombed in 1944. A number of thorough restorations has been conducted during the past few centuries.