Sint-Odulfuskerk, Gothic church building in Borgloon, Belgium

Sint-Odulfuskerk is a five-aisled cruciform basilica built of rough grey and brown stone, with a tall dark grey spire topped by a cross rising from a square tower on the right. The tower has tall arched windows and a clock face near the spire base, while the main body extends left with steep grey roofs, a small dormer and a lower side aisle with round-arched windows. Scaffolding stands beside the tower.

The church was probably founded at the end of the 10th century; a chapter of canons was attached by 1027, and in 1047 the church was first mentioned in writing and dedicated to Saints Peter, Paul and Odulf. A Romanesque church replaced it in 1130-1131, and the present Gothic tower was built in 1406. The church was restored to its current neo-Romanesque appearance in 1903-1904 under Hyacinthus Martens and Vincent Lenertz.

The church is dedicated to Saint Odulf, but its medieval prayer chair belonged to Saint Lutgardis of Tongeren, a 13th-century mystic. The church also keeps a 1292 reliquary shrine holding bones and skulls attributed to Saint Ursula and other saints. The canons of the chapter, recorded from 1027, sang the hours here daily and ran the parish school.

The church is accessible from the outside at any time and offers good views of its Gothic architecture from the street. For a detailed interior visit, check local opening times as viewings are arranged on a regular basis.

The prayer chair kept in the church is that of Saint Lutgardis of Tongeren, not of Saint Odulf. It dates from the 12th or 13th century, when Lutgardis stayed for a time with the recluse Jutta in a cell built against the altar.