Heilige Kerstkerk, Catholic church in northern Ghent, Belgium

The Heilige Kerstkerk is a Catholic church in Ghent with a three-aisled nave divided into six bays, blending late Gothic design with a neoclassical facade built in 1812. Surrounding residential buildings partially conceal the structure, leaving mainly the western front and northern sections visible to passersby.

The church was founded in 1550 after its original site near Saint Bavo's Abbey was demolished in 1540 to make way for a military citadel. This displacement created the need for a new place of worship in the northern part of the city.

Because the church stands near Ghent's former outer harbour, it became the prayer house of Flemish inland bargemen, who married, baptised their children and were buried here. Their meeting point was the former café Onder de Toren on the corner of the square and the Sleepstraat. In the Ghent dialect the church is called Seleskest, a name also used for the parish and the surrounding neighbourhood.

Access to the site can be limited due to surrounding residential buildings that conceal most views. It helps to allow extra time for navigation and to look carefully for the main entrance on the western side.

The bow standing on the church square belongs to the Rihera, a cargo vessel built in 1952 and sailed until 1977. Its name contracts the first names Richard, Hélène and Raoul of the Wijnakker bargee family who owned it.