Sint-Lambertus Church Beersel

The St. Lambertus Church of Beersel...

Nothing is known about the first church. The patronage of Saint Lambert may point to a foundation in the 9th century. The oldest known document dates from 1190. It is a deed in which the bishop of Kamerijk donated the parish of Sint-Genesius-Rode with its dependencies Beersel and Linkebeek to the nuns of Vorst. The tithes of Beersel were usurped by the Duke of Brabant who donated them in 1276 to the Abbey of Vorst, which kept them until the French Revolution. The oldest church was probably a half-timbered construction, which was possibly replaced by a stone church (or at least the tower with its coat of arms) by Hendrik V van Witthem. The church was partially destroyed in 1497-1498 during the siege of the castle by the people of Brussels. It was destroyed again during the Iconoclasm of 1585 and partly burned down by a lightning strike in 1730 (tower, choir and chapel). Before 1913, the church consisted of a tower, a short nave with side aisles (two bays) and an apse with a flat closure. This church was probably never finished. On April 27, 1913, the church council decided to build a new church according to a design by architect Chrétien Veraart, who also designed the church of Lot. It was built under the leadership of pastor Pieter Jan van der Hasselt. The contractor was Willem Wastiaan from Huizingen.