Sint-Pieterskerk, church in Pellenberg (Lubbeek), Belgium
Sint-Pieterskerk is a church in Pellenberg, part of Lubbeek, with a late Romanesque west tower built around 1200 in alternating bands of white limestone and brown iron sandstone. The nave was rebuilt in classicist style around 1780 in brick and limestone, with a blue-stone entrance porch, round-arched windows, and a polygonal choir. The tower's top stage and slate spire date from after World War I.
A Romanesque church existed at Pellenberg around 1200, and only its western tower survives from that building. The nave was rebuilt in classicist style around 1780. The tower's top storey and slate spire postdate damage in the First World War. The site was ravaged repeatedly in wars, including in 1635 during the Franco-Spanish war, because the tower stood on the highest point of the Hageland.
The church is dedicated to Saint Peter, reflecting the Catholic faith that shaped Lubbeek's community for centuries. People still gather here on Sundays and for special occasions like baptisms and weddings, maintaining traditions that have connected generations to this building.
The church is located centrally at Sint-Pietersplein in Lubbeek and is easy to reach on foot or by car. It is typically open during Sunday services and special occasions, and the building is well-maintained, allowing visitors to explore the site's long history in peaceful surroundings.
Inside hangs an organ classified as a monument since 7 October 1981. The church once held the tombstone of Renier, lord of Udekem, Pellenberg and Lubbeek, who died in 1250, and of his wife Laurette de Perwez, who died in 1254; a 1602 drawing by a Leuven notary shows the knight lying with joined hands, his shield painted with the Udekem arms on his left arm, his helmet and gauntlet at his feet, and Laurette beside him in a mantle with an ermine collar.
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