Sint-Ritakerk, church in Harelbeke, Belgium

The Sint-Ritakerk is a church in Harelbeke whose form is a truncated pyramid: a hexagonal ground plan 30 metres across, with thin walls held by the dome structure. A sloped glass plane from 17 to 29 metres high forms the central light source at the cut-off top. The entrance lies under a nearly 5-metre-high, 10-metre-wide canopy supported by reinforced concrete walls.

The parish was commissioned in 1952 by the Harelbeke city council, which intended the church as a pilgrimage site as well as a parish church. Construction began in 1963 but was halted temporarily by technical difficulties, and the church was consecrated in 1966. It was listed as a protected monument on 8 March 2016 for its artistic and architectural value.

The Sint-Ritakerk takes its name from Saint Rita, venerated for her compassion and patience. The modern concrete structure differs sharply from traditional churches and reflects how the community embraced new forms of worship and gathering.

The entrance lies under a nearly 5-metre-high, 10-metre-wide canopy supported on both sides by reinforced concrete walls; the dark doorway sits at the lower left of the front face. The site is in the Zandberg district, west of Harelbeke's centre, near the border with Kortrijk. The building has been a protected monument since 8 March 2016.

The thin walls are held together only by the dome construction, and their shape lets them withstand different weather conditions. Inside, the walls are clad with wood-fibre cement panels, while the floor rising toward the altar is made of granito tiles, not the dark anthracite Léon Stynen wanted.