Saint Catherine's Church (Forêt)

The charming little village of Forêt is located on the edge of the Herve plateau.
It has managed to retain its original structure, organized around a square at the bottom of which the Church of St. Catherine imposes its presence.
The Romanesque-style building, dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria and now classified, presents itself as a real architectural puzzle, a mixture of successive constructions and adaptations. The nave (sacred space), the square tower and the wall enclosing the cemetery remind us of the time when the church played the role of fortified refuge for the population.
Added in the 16th century, the south chapel dedicated to Sainte-Barbe was then extended to the point of making it a real side nave.
On May 10, 1940, Belgian artillerymen dynamited the tower, fearing that it would serve as a landmark for the German air force. Rebuilt 7 years later, it retains some parts of the 13th or 14th century.
Source: infotrooz.be

The church, built under the patronage of Saint Catherine, is surrounded by its cemetery. Inside the nave, one can admire a polychrome Christ from the fourteenth century and a set of tempera paintings dating from the sixteenth century representing the martyrdom of Saint Barbara.

This church of Romanesque origin, the old part of which probably dates from the eleventh century, was initially a single nave building, reinforced by a massive fortified tower. The volume was completed in 1684 by a choir, to which a sacristy was added. It was once again modified in 1824 by the addition of another sacristy, the old one then becoming a side chapel. It was also at this time that the walls were raised. The church tower, a potential landmark for the German army, was destroyed in 1940. The ensemble was restored in 1954. It was at this time that the tempera paintings, which had been covered with whitewash for several centuries , were brought to light. This explains their exceptional state of conservation.

The center of Forêt is a classified village view, and with a lot of right and reason!