Assistant Priest’s House Laarne

Commissioned by Antoine Benoit Droesbeke, notary in Laarne, newly built house in the 1840s, according to archive data from the land registry, founded in 1848 and put into use in 1849. Later home of the curate and current rental home of the church factory of the Sint-Macharius parish. With the construction of a garage next to the garden gate in 1969, part of the garden wall was raised. In 1978-1979, when the house was renovated, the typical dark gray cladding of the front facade, right side and rear facade was replaced by new, structured cladding.
(Immovable Heritage Inventory)

The site belonged to the Bauwens family as far back as the land register data. On his death in 1835, notary Casimir Bauwens was succeeded by his brother-in-law Antoine Droesbeke. He felt that the old dilapidated house no longer suited his status as a notary, municipal secretary and mayor. He chose the beautiful curate's house next to the town hall. Droesbeke came to an agreement with the mayor and the church factory. He could move into that curate house on the condition that he build a new curate house. That was completed in 1849. The house remained inhabited by (sub)pastors until 2012, although it had already been sold by the church council a year earlier. The new owners underwent a thorough restoration renovation. The stately facade has been preserved and the interior also has a number of valuable elements such as the marble tile floor in the hall, the beautiful neoclassical marble fireplace mantles and a brick staircase to the cellar. Since 2004 the house has been protected as a monument.Source: laarne.be