Saint Gertrude’s Church Vlassenbroek

Picturesque church in the middle of an idyllic village

The pearl of Vlassenbroek is undoubtedly the gothic Saint Gertrudiskerk, built in the 12th - 17th century. Church can be visited in July and August every Sunday from 2 pm to 6 pm.

Neo-Gothic church, of which the building history is only known to a limited extent. A chapel was already mentioned in a deed from 1216 in Vlassenbroek and a text from 1375 already mentions 'the church of Vlassenbrouc'.
During the Beeldenstorm in 1578, the church was plundered and largely destroyed. In 1592, the church was still in ruins. The final restoration work was not completed until 1640.
In 1644, the church was back in use, but the altar had not yet been consecrated. The services were provided by the assistant pastor of Sint-Gillis / Zwijveke. Vlassenbroek would not have its own pastor for a long time and would be served by priests from the surrounding parishes. In 1649, the church was closed and the services were held in the church of Sint-Gillis-Binnen. The fully restored church only had three portable altars in 1737. The current furniture comes from other churches and monasteries in Dendermonde. In 1811-15 the parish was united with Baasrode.
The church was badly damaged in 1945 during the Second World War, and restored in the 1960s.
Source: Inventory of Immovable Heritage