The Oude Kerk is a church in Vichte. The church served as a parish church until 1962. The history of its construction dates back to the 12th century.
In order to provide his subjects with an altar and prayer, Goswin, the first Lord of Vichte, together with the monks of the Saint-Diederiks Abbey of Reims (France) built a typical rural place of worship around 1110. The church was originally a hall church (i.e. the part built of rubble stone from Tournai) and was converted into a cruciform church in the 14th century. In 1119, the church was recognised as a "private church" for Vichte by the Bishop of Tournai and Noyon.
The design of the tower is rare in Flanders. The oak tower construction covered with slates was only added later to the bell wall built according to the French-Romanesque model. The two unequal holes were used to hang the bells.
Since 1962, the church no longer functions as a parish church, and from then on the municipal library is housed there. Since 1996, the church has again been the setting for cultural events (performances, exhibitions, theatre, etc.) and is part of the cultural centre.
In July 2019, the 900th anniversary of the Parish of Vichte was extensively celebrated under the impetus of the Vichte Village Council. All kinds of festivities took place in the Old Church and around the nearby castle (historical evocation, re-enactment group of Knights Templar, choirs, folk festival, rebaptism of the Vichtse giant, etc.).
Since the first decades of the 21st century, the building has shown cracks. First at the western portal and in 2019 also at the northern transept. The Anzegem municipal council has closed the building for further activities from 1 January 2020. Specialists were appointed to make an analysis to stabilise the building and to prevent further damage. A renovation file was submitted to the Flemish Community. This file was approved mid-2021. Now let's hope that the Anzegem municipal council will take further action.