Sacred Spaces > Eglise de Watten
  | | Eglise de Watten Founded in 1236, the Saint Gilles church of Watten has undergone numerous changes which have however left the tower untouched. Today it is listed Monument Historique and has been completely restored. The porch of the bell tower in sandstone brick is adorned with geometric motifs in red brick, the lintels, panels and archivolts are in white stone. The tower, which had a spire up to 1800, is six floors high up to the stone cornice that crowns it all. It can be imagined that the top floor, which protrudes from the bell tower's terrace, could have served as a look-out post and make this lovely tower a sort of village belfry sited at a strategic point as old as the site's relief. Dedicated since it was founded to Saint Gilles, the church is home to several pieces of furniture coming from the abbey, the choir windows are listed in the inventaire supplémentaire de monuments historiques. The devotion to Saint Gilles dates from the 11th century and a novena is held every year in September. Remains of the Saint are then revered. The site is located on the Retables of Flanders route. The absence of heating was an obstacle to the development of this highly popular site for tourists: that is why a system was installed to allow access to the site in winter, whilst still preserving the spiritual and patrimonial spirit of this site listed Monument Historique |
