Sint-Albertuskerk, Mine cathedral in Zwartberg, Belgium.
Sint-Albertuskerk is a brick hall church built 1939–1941 to a design by Henri Lacoste, with a massive attached tower modelled on the tower of Sint-Niklaaskerk in Veurne. The nave has a high, steep saddle roof, and the front facade is marked by deep, tall mitre-shaped windows holding crystal glass set in concrete. The entrance portal's saddle roof runs parallel to that of the church.
Built between 1939 and 1941 to a design by Henri Lacoste, the Sint-Albertuskerk was conceived as a mine cathedral for Zwartberg. Its massive attached tower takes the tower of the Sint-Niklaaskerk in Veurne as its model, while the church itself sits under a high, steep saddle roof. The deep, tall mitre-shaped windows with crystal glass set in concrete were a novelty at the time.
The church is nicknamed a mine cathedral, a reference to the coal mining at Zwartberg that shaped the parish. Inside, a 9-metre-high Barbaratoren stands as a shrine to Saint Barbara, patron of miners. The interior is dim, with Venetian glass mosaic and a bronze candlestick; the altar, ciborium and both ambos were designed by Henri Lacoste.
The building is open to the public and regularly used for services and community activities. The main entrance is located at Kerkplein on Hoevenzavellaan in Genk, making it straightforward to find.
The interior holds a 9-metre-high Barbaratoren, a tower dedicated to Saint Barbara, patron of miners, reflecting the church's mining origins. The altar, ciborium and both ambos were designed by architect Henri Lacoste, and Venetian glass mosaic adds colour to the dim interior.
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