Saint-Pierre Church in Bastogne, Gothic church building in Bastogne, Belgium.
Saint-Pierre Church in Bastogne is a Gothic building with a square tower topped by a slate pyramid and a clock with a golden face. Its interior has cylindrical columns with alternating light and reddish bands, a ribbed vault painted with dark foliate patterns in 1536, and three tall stained-glass windows above the altar.
A document from 893 first mentions a place of worship here; the square tower, 20 m high with 2 m thick walls, is the Romanesque remnant. In 1236 Liège troops set the church on fire. It was enlarged with three naves in the 14th century, and the naves were rebuilt in late Gothic style in the 15th and early 16th centuries. The vault was painted in 1536.
The vault paintings of 1536 depict Old and New Testament scenes, medieval confraternities, nobles and peasants, with Saint Peter, the church's patron, appearing in many places. They were restored by F. Delwiche in 1848 and again by C. Leegenhoek of Bruges in 1954.
The church stands at Porte de Trèves, on the road to the Grand Duchy. The tower's lower stage, with walls two metres thick, dates from the 11th century; the upper stage from the 12th. The 40-metre slate pyramid roof and the clock face are best seen from the street before entering.
The 1536 vault paintings were restored by F. Delwiche in 1848 and again by C. Leegenhoek of Bruges in 1954. The stained-glass windows destroyed in the Ardennes offensive were only replaced in 1969: the choir windows come from the workshop of French painter and glassmaker Maurice Rocher (1918-1995).
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