Church of St. Susanna, Modernist church in Schaerbeek, Belgium

Saint Susanna Church is a church building in Schaerbeek, Brussels, showing clean lines and open spaces with a mix of concrete and glass. The interior feels bright and spacious, with large windows letting in plenty of daylight while geometric forms convey a modern simplicity.

Louise Thiery funded the church in memory of her daughter Suzanne, who died at 20. Architect Jean Combaz drew the plans in 1925, and the building went up from 1926 to 1928 in reinforced concrete, the first church in Brussels built that way. It was consecrated only on 1 May 1963 and listed as a protected monument on 27 March 2003.

The church is named after Suzanne Thiery, who died at 20; her mother Louise funded the building in her memory. The parish belongs to the Kerkebeek pastoral unit within the Brussels North-East deanery. A polychrome wooden bust of Saint Susanna from 1634 is kept in the sacristy.

The church stands at the corner of rue Latinis and rue des Glycines in Schaerbeek, its entrance under the square bell tower above the narthex. The single nave measures 47 m long, 27 m wide and 14 m high, so the interior is read at a glance from the entrance. The tower with its concrete cross reaches 49 m.

The church was the first in Brussels built in concrete, and its bold Art Deco design drew the nickname "the cinema of the Schaerbeek cemetery" from locals. Its parish rooms, including youth halls and medical consultations, were placed in the basement.