Sint-Martinuskerk, Catholic church in Genk, Belgium
Sint-Martinuskerk is a brick church in modern Gothic style, designed by Maurice De Paepe and built from March 1950 to June 1953. It is a cruciform basilica, 60 metres long and 25 metres wide, with a steep pitched roof and an attached square tower under a tent roof. The tower rises 64 metres and holds a 52-bell carillon installed in 1960.
Religious buildings have stood on this site since the 8th century, starting with a wooden chapel followed by stone structures over the centuries. The present building replaced its predecessor after wartime destruction in 1944.
The church holds sculptures by artist Raf Mailleux created in the 1900s and preserves a 16th-century Virgin Mary statue from its predecessor building. These artworks show how the community has maintained its religious heritage across generations.
The building is easy to locate in town thanks to its distinctive square tower visible from many angles. Since it functions as an active place of worship, visiting hours may be limited to specific times.
The modern structure rests on a mound created from rubble of the destroyed predecessor building. This unusual foundation connects the site's past and present in a way visitors cannot see but can understand.
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