The Saint-Martin church of Tourinnes-la-Grosse is certainly, of all
churches in the region of Entre Dyle and Gette, the one which offers the most historical interest.
It constitutes the jewel of the Néthen Valley.
Located at the top of a sandy promontory which juts out at the confluence of
valleys dug out on the one hand by the Néthen stream coming from Beauvechain and
on the other hand by the Mille stream, it dominates the village which has largely been
spread out along the waters.
Tarlier and Wauters who, in the last century, wrote the history of all the communes of the district of Nivelles supposed that the church of Tourinnes-la-Grosse could date from the end of the 13th century because of certain Gothic elements of the tower and choir mixed with the Romanesque style which characterizes it, therefore around 1200. But the successive restorations, the excavations of the soils, the analyzes of the materials, the comparisons of the dimensions, in short the analyzes which succeeded one another in its history tend to show that the The Saint Martin church of Tourinnes-la-Grosse is close to the primitive basilicas, originally without a tower and only having a choir of reduced dimensions.
The central nave is said to be the oldest preserved pillared nave in Brabant. The architecture dates back to the Carolingian or Merovingian era, therefore to the 7th century.
It was probably in the 12th century that the Chapter of St-Paul de Liège decided to add a squat tower made of Gobertange stones and to enlarge the choir.
The walls are 1.60 m to 1.80 m thick. This massive tower gave Tourinnes around 1800 the nickname “La Grosse”.
The current choir was rebuilt in 1684. Numerous restorations took place during its history, and it was in the 20th century, under the direction of Professor Lemaitre de Louvain, that the last restoration took place with the aim of restoring each of its elements. which make up the church its original appearance.
The Néthen valley now has its jewel: the oldest pillared nave from the pre-Romanesque period preserved in Brabant.
A purity of line, an unusual sobriety. Everything is simple, everything is modest, but impresses with a harmonious austerity which gives the building an atmosphere of meditation.
(extracts from “Tourinnes Beauvechain, enclave lands of the principality of Liège in Brabant” by Joseph Schayes)