St. Remigius Church, seen from the Molenstraat, Baarle-Hertog
The Sint-Remigius Church or Belse Church is a Catholic church building in Baarle. Because the church is located on a Belgian enclave, it belongs to the Antwerp Baarle-Hertog. The patron saint of the church is Saint Remigius, a bishop from Reims from the fifth and sixth centuries.
The church is said to have been founded by Hilsondis, countess of Strijen and foundress of Thorn Abbey. She owned large parts of present-day West Brabant. She donated the Remigius Church to the Thorn Abbey in 992.
The current church largely dates from the first half of the 16th century, but was enlarged in 1640. It is a characteristic example of Kempen Gothic, a sober shape and made of brick. The tower has a sober late Gothic basket arch portal and several small pointed arch windows. Only the reverberation holes in the top floor are rounded - possibly younger.
The church played an important role for the Catholic chapels in the region in the time just after the Peace of Münster (1648). Shortly after the Peace of Münster, Prince William II of Orange (1626-1650) claimed all churches and church property in the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. For example, the chapels of Ulicoten and Nijhoven were closed. The statues of the chapels were housed in the St. Remigius Church. The Southern Netherlands remained Catholic, while the Dutch Reformed Church (later Dutch Reformed Church) became the state church for the Republic. Although attempts were also made to confiscate this church, the then pastor Gerardus van Herdegom, with the help of Amalia van Solms, managed to convince that the church is located on a Belgian enclave.
Until 1860, the church functioned as a church for the whole of Baarle, including the residents of Baarle-Nassau. In 1860, a row arose over the salary of the parish priest, who was appointed alternately by the diocese of Breda and the archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels, which then also included the current diocese of Antwerp. The residents of Baarle-Nassau founded their own parish and their own church, the Our Lady of Assistance Church on the Nieuwstraat.