The St. Bernardus Church in Nieuwpoort-Bad is located a few dozen meters from the Zeedijk. It is the only church along the Belgian coast whose main portal looks directly out to sea.
The first St. Bernard Church was built in 1877 on behalf of major landowner Benjamin Crombez. He saw the house of worship as a place for all religions and faith communities. The building was destroyed during the First World War.
The existing neo-Romanesque church dates from 1923. During the Second World War the building had a hard time. The repairs of 1947 also determine the current appearance.
The yellow brick facades rest on a bluestone plinth. The stylistic difference with the Gothic churches of Nieuwpoort-Stad, Ramskapelle and Sint-Joris is clear at a glance. In the Romanesque style, the round arch dominates, while the ornamentation is usually minimal. However, the purity of style has been somewhat damaged by the use of buttresses against the tower hull and the side aisles, an element from the Gothic.
In 2012, the St. Bernardus Church underwent a thorough restoration. This included tackling the facades of the house of worship.
(Nieuwpoort.be)