Sint-Niklaaskerk, Parish church in Enghien, Belgium.
Sint-Niklaaskerk is the parish church at the centre of Enghien. Its irregular cross-shaped plan has a four-bay nave, three side aisles, a transept, a choir and a crossing tower. The entrance porch in the north aisle was built between 1444 and 1459 by Jehan Inglebin. The tower holds a carillon of 51 bells, the oldest dating from 1566.
Around 1150 an oratory dependent on the bishopric of Cambrai stood on this site. Construction of a church under Saint Nicholas began in 1328, and its first altar was consecrated in 1347. The building burned at the start of the 15th century and was rebuilt, later suffering further fires. In the 17th century Anne de Croÿ added a Renaissance chapel, and in the 18th century the tower and west façade were raised in Neo-Gothic style.
The church is dedicated to Saint Nicholas, and its windows depict the Miracle of the Sacrament: Jews of Brussels pierce a host that begins to bleed. In the crossing tower hangs a carillon of 51 bells, the oldest cast in 1566. A 1530 altarpiece stands behind the altar of the Notre-Dame de Messines chapel.
The entrance porch on the north aisle was built between 1444 and 1459 by Jehan Inglebin, so enter from that side to see it. The organ stands in the transept near the choir; it came from a Protestant church in Bielefeld, Germany, and was installed here in 2017. Look for the 1530 altarpiece behind the altar of the Notre-Dame de Messines chapel in the south-east.
The crossing tower holds a carillon of 51 bells; the oldest was cast in 1566, so it predates most of the church's present furnishings. The instrument hangs above the nave where the transept meets the choir.
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