Anzegem (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – St. John the Baptist Church in Anzegem, damaged by fire in 2014, is nearing final restoration. Alderman Louis Degroote says work worth €2 million starts fall of 2025, ending spring of 2027.
As VRT News reported, the last part of the St. Johan the Baptist church in Anzegem, a municipality in the province of West Flanders, Belgium, renovation is now getting close. Alderman Louis Degroote said the city council has agreed to start the final work. This part will focus on finishing the chapel. A floor, lights, heating, and an altar will be added to make it ready for use again.
He mentioned that there will also be 3 gates placed between the chapel and the middle part of the church, called the nave. These gates will open to a garden that will be made in the roofless nave. But before that work can begin, the building must be made safe.
Will St. John’s church in Anzegem be fully restored by 2027?
According to officials, if there are no big problems, everything should be done by the end of 2026. But Alderman Louis Degroote said that in big projects like this, surprises can always happen. That is why they are being careful and now say spring 2027 is a safer goal.
The final part of the work will cost about 2 million euros. This is the same amount that was spent on the first part of the repairs. In total, the full restoration of the old church will cost around 4 million euros.
A fire destroyed the St. John the Baptist Church in Anzegem in October 2014. The church was very old, built in the 12th century. It was a landmark in West Flanders. The fire caused the roof and tower to collapse, leaving only the walls.
The people in the village were very sad and started a debate about how to fix the church. The government wanted to rebuild it to look like it used to. But the town wanted to change the church into a new space for the community, while still remembering its history.
The church stood empty for years while people argued about what to do with it. In the end, they made a deal. The oldest parts, the choir, sacristy, and tower, would be fixed to look like they did before. The broken middle part, called the nave, would not be rebuilt. Instead, it would become a quiet green courtyard.
In 2021, workers made the church safe from wind and rain. But in 2022, Storm Eunice caused more damage. A new check was needed to make sure the courtyard idea was safe. These problems made the work take longer, but the plan stayed on track.
