The Paterskerk in Tienen is the second oldest beguinage church in Belgium. After being destroyed by a fire, its restored ruins have been transformed into a peaceful walking park.
Galerie photos
Edelhart Kempeneers, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
History of the Paterskerk
The first beguinage church in Belgium was built in Liège in 1240. The second oldest is often considered to be the beguinage of Tienen, where construction of the early Gothic beguinage church began in 1245.
The flat façade originally had no bell tower. The floor plan features three naves and a non-projecting pseudo-transept from the 13th century. The choir and the side chapels date from the 14th century. From the nave, only the pointed barrel vaults against the façade have been preserved, clearly showing that all arches once rested on simple square pillars. The church also featured a timber barrel vault.
In 1843, the Commissie der Burgerlijke Godshuizen (a predecessor of today’s Public Social Welfare Centre) sold the beguinage church and the adjacent buildings to the Dominican fathers, who converted the complex into a monastery. Locals in Tienen still refer to the beguinage church as the Paterskerk.
In 1946, the Fathers’ Church was listed as protected heritage.
On 22 September 1976, the church was largely destroyed in a violent fire. The ruins were restored and transformed into a walking park in 1997.
