Sint-Niklaaskerk, Gothic church in Veurne, Belgium

Sint-Niklaaskerk in Veurne is a Gothic hall church of brick, with iron-sandstone and limestone in the lower walls and Tournai stone in the west portal. Its massive west tower, 48 metres high, has a rectangular plan, four storeys marked by string courses, stepped corner buttresses and a square stair turret at the south-west corner. The tower is capped by a truncated top with pinnacles, and a secondary turret adjoins its right side.

The church is first mentioned in 1120, when Bishop Jan van Waasten of Terwaan gave it to the newly founded Sint-Niklaas Abbey; monks served it until the abbey was suppressed at the French Revolution, after which it became the decanal church of Veurne. The Romanesque lower west tower survives from the 13th century, its upper storeys rebuilt in the early 14th century in smaller brick. The old church was demolished in 1494 and replaced by the present three-aisled nave of five bays, vaulted in wood in 1496 and glazed in 1498; the central choir was lengthened eastward in 1775.

The parish was served by a monk of the Sint-Niklaas Abbey until the abbey was suppressed; the church then became the decanal church of the Veurne deanery. The white marble statue of Saint Nicholas inside was made by Philippe Parmentier after the interior changes of the early 19th century.

The church stands between Appelmarkt, Sint-Niklaasplein and Kaatsspelplaats, with houses built against its side aisles. The west tower is one of the public viewing towers of the West Flanders Horizon project, so check its opening times before planning a climb. The truncated tower has no rebuilt spire since 1891-1892.

The tower's carillon includes 't Bommetje, cast in 1379 and the oldest bell in Veurne. The truncated tower top is itself a result of history: a brick spire added in 1841 was taken down around 1866, and the 1891–1892 restoration left the tower without a spire.