Church of our Lady

A chancel rood screen consists of a stone wall with a stand which separates the chancel from the nave, shielding the sacred from the public part. A rood screen served several functions, including maintaining the peace during tidal prayers and as a liturgical space for mass readings and sermons. Although most chancel rood screens disappeared during religious wars, the rood screen of Our Lady’s Church was preserved as a rare example of Gothic chancel rood screens in Belgium. It was created by an unknown master in the early 16th century and consists of a white natural stone stand resting on eight columns made of blue bluestone. The stand incorporates a series of twenty one niches with relief sculptures. There are also eight empty niches, probably intended for statues of evangelists and church fathers. It is also richly decorated with foliage and ornamental mouldings. The central representations on the chancel rood screen show the passion and resurrection of Christ. This series of seventeen scenes includes, among others, Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, his crucifixion and his resurrection. The chancel rood screen was not only decorative but also instructive for the illiterate population who could not read the Bible.